


Like Flowers in the Desert

by robinelli



Category: Free!
Genre: "rentboy"! Kisumi, Ai is a little angel that is getting tired of his friends shit, Ai is easily influenced, Ai just wants some friends, DancerinTraining!Nagisa, Desert AU, Gou/Ai/Nagisa bromance, Grief/Mourning, Growing Up, Haru and Makoto are idiots., Haru and emotions don't mix well, I really have no idea what I am doing, Kisumi - Freeform, Kisumi likes to meddle, M/M, Makoto's kindness takes.. weird forms, Merchant!Makoto, Minor Character Death, Nagisa is horny, Prince!Rin, Princess!Kou, Puberty, References To Pedophilia, References to Prostitution, Scheming Nagisa, Slice of Life, Slutty Nagisa, and Nagisa does not take no for an answer, and Rei is a prude and an idiot., darker themes down the line, first story so I don't really know what I'm doing, insecureTeenager!Rin, jealous and confused Haru is best Haru, non graphic references to 15 year olds having sex, nothing graphic though, prudish scholar/student Rei, servant!Ai, slow built, soldier!Sei, starts as children, stupidly elaborate sentimental gifts, underageDancer!Nagisa, wet dreams
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-07-28 17:03:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 20
Words: 53,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7649203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinelli/pseuds/robinelli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Growing up during the worst drought in the history of Iwatobi Kingdom is just Haru's luck. At least there is Makoto by his side, which makes life just a bit more bearable.<br/>Still, you take whatever you can get. So when a deal with the prince promises regular access to a pool,well, how is a boy to say no?<br/>Dealing with redheaded nobiliy and sneaking around palace guards may not be high on Haru's list of favourite pastimes, but sacrifices need to be made for the thing you love.<br/>He just hopes, that when it's time for the bill, he will be the only one who will have to pay the price.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone who is reading this.
> 
> When I first thought up the concept for this fanfiction the first season of Free! was still on and I just loved the idea of the desert AU. I started this at a time when I was addicted to this Anime. Then life happened and I was clean for a while. But of course that didn't last, and here I am back on the Free! trip, which is why you are reading this.
> 
> What I will be attempting here is not some great desert adventure filled with magic and arabian mythology, rather I want to try and write a slice of life story set in a world where water is scarce, surviving is hard work and friendships form through and around the difficulties this poses.
> 
> I want to follow our characters from a young age to their adulthood, shine a light on their personal dramas, their friendships, how they live and love in a world where swimming is a luxury and having to earn what you eat starts early.
> 
> This starts with them as children, so for quite a bit of time there won't be any sexual relationships,however there is plenty of puppy love, pining and cuteness to be had. Why? Because I love that stuff.
> 
> As our dear darlings get older, some of the world's darkness will look more and more into their lives. Prostitution will be a topic as will be minor character deaths, so steer clear if you can't stand that at all. References to underage but post-pubescent sex WILL be a thing down the line, so you have been warned of that as well. Although I will also update the tags to reflect the added chapters
> 
> With that I wish you happy reading and hope that you will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

„Haru!", the voice of his best friend was quietly but insistently ringing through the garden holding the most beautiful pool of clear water Haru had ever laid eyes on. And that was really all that mattered the boy decided when he threw off his clothes and took a nosedive into the still pool.

He faintly heard the distressed but subdued gasp escaping Makoto, who was looking around frantically and obviously worried.

It wasn't that the black haired boy didn't understand why his best friend was fretting. After all, this garden did belong to the palace. The palace that was very much off limits for common people, for peasants and other poor folk, like them.

Haru knew this. He also knew that he didn't care, outside of these walls he had hardly ever seen enough water to sit in, never mind to move around in this freely. Now that he had felt the sensation of gliding through the water he was more than reluctant to ever give it up again.

He heard Makoto whisper again urgently and raised his head enough to throw an unimpressed look his friend's way. He was enjoying himself here and Makoto was being a killjoy. After looking into bright green eyes he realized his mistake, the large green eyes looked at him deeply worried and insecure and he could see his friend shake in the pale moonlight.

Now he felt guilty, as he without fail did, whenever he unintentionally scared or hurt Makoto. He moved back to the edge of the pool, took the shaking hand offered to him and let himself be pulled out of the cool water.

"Don't be afraid. There shouldn't be any guards coming this way for at least an hour." He flatly reassured the brunet. He hadn't spent forever climbing the wall up as far as he dared listening and watching and finding out when the guards were making their rounds around here to have Makoto freak out on him.

He had wanted to do this alone, initially, because he knew what a scaredy-cat his best friend was, but in the end he couldn't keep the secret from Makoto and Makoto, even on the pain of death would never, never let Haru go into danger alone. Haru actually wasn't sure if he liked that. Whenever it became really apparent his stomach would do a weird flip-flop and he would look away, embarrassed. Just like was happening in this moment.

Makoto was gripping his hand tight now and growing more agitated by the second. Just as Haru wanted to reassure him yet again he snapped his head around eyes slightly widened when he heard quiet sneaky footsteps coming their way. Makoto heard them too judging by the way he tried to hide behind Haru despite being slightly taller.

Haru's memory supplied that it was still too early for guards and the footsteps seemed too timid to belong to someone who was supposed to be here. Haru looked around for a hiding place, but the small hole in the wall he had found was too far away to get there unnoticed and the water separated them from bushes that could have shielded them. Feeling Makoto shake behind him he did the only thing he could do, stand up taller and face the threat head on.

Just seconds later his eyes connected with a pair of vibrant red ones, placed in a young face, maybe nine or ten years old, around their age really and framed by longish red strands.

The other boy blinked, then narrowed his eyes as Haru kept his defensive stance and defiantly looked at the intruder.

He could feel Makoto relax just slightly when a few seconds went past and the other boy didn't cry for the guards.

The redhead did however approach them, hopping other the stepping stones in the pool with the ease of practice and landed directly in front of them.

Haru took an instinctive step back and frowned as the red head got up into his personal space and measured him with his eyes.

"Who are you?", The kid asked, the tone was friendly enough, if somewhat imposing, or at least trying to be. 'Noble then, not servant' Haru thought, not without disdain.

"No one you need to know." he replied unfazed and felt more than heard Makoto make a noise behind his back that probably meant he should at least try to be polite, lest they get into trouble after all.

The boy leaned back a bit again, with an unhappy expression on his face "This is my garden, and you are tres.. tre... where you are not supposed to be. The least you can do is telling me your names."

Haru stared at him, doing his very best to look as uncooperative as possible, in the hopes that the boy just would tire of this and let them go.

"Oh come on, I'm not going to call the guards on you. Just tell me already!" The boy started again, this time slightly louder and with a whine to his voice, that could alarm someone if it went on.

Makoto pressed Haru's shoulder in worry. Haru understood the signal and sighed "I am Haru and this is Makoto." He complied in his usual emotionless tone but made sure that the red head felt his disdain at being forced to give their names through his icy glare.

The boy didn't seem to be perturbed however. His face spilt into a wide grin, exposing white teeth and slightly longer than normal fangs. The happiness radiating from the boy made Haru uneasy. "Hello Haru and Makoto, I'm Rin."

Haru felt Makoto's grip on his shoulder tighten again but didn't comment. He didn't show the shock he was feeling on his face, unlike Makoto who right now undoubtedly sported a visage of terror.

"You are the prince." Haru commented feeling stupid the second the words left his lips.

Rin laughed embarrassedly and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, that would be me. So what are you doing here?" he asked curiously and leaned forward a bit again.

Haru looked to the side choosing not to answer. Makoto seemed to have found his voice again however and piped up "We wanted to play in the water for a bit..." Haru could practically feel the blush burning on his friend's face and sighed.

Rin stifled a laugh against his hand and looked at them with mirth in his eyes "And so you broke into the palace garden. You two are quite brave."

Makoto was stuttering next to him, and when Haru shifted his eyes to the side just a bit he could see Makotos face take on ever more interesting shades of red.

He just wanted to offer a rebuttal to this so called prince and then take his leave, but Rin had finished chuckling before he could raise his voice. "Tell you what, you get me out of here sometime and I won't tell what you did."

Haru was about to protest at the attempted black mail, and was once again interrupted. "AND as a bonus, because I am nice, I'll help you get in here and swim."

The raven haired boy clamped his mouth shut and looked at the faintly sparkling water, feeling such longing that it was very, very difficult to even think the offer over, and not just impulsively say yes.

But he wasn't alone in this, he had Makoto to consider. Smuggling a prince out of his palace was dangerous, his grandma certainly wouldn't approve and there was Makoto's family that might get into trouble and...

"Yes." Haru heard the word and his mind screeched to a halt, he hadn't been the one who said it. Which only left… He looked at Makoto, eyes slightly widening at the conviction in his best friends face even if his hands, which were still grabbing on to Haru's shoulders, were shaking slightly.

"We will take the offer." Haru's gaze snapped back to the prince who was showing of his fangs again in a grin and nodded "Great. you get in through the hole in the wall right?."

Blue eyes sparkled at the prince in irritation. What did he need them for if he knew how to get out? Although it didn't even matter now,they already were in this mess so he just nodded his head in confirmation.

Rin seemed satisfied with that and continued. "Wait there around noon tomorrow. I'll give you a sign when it's save to come in. There will be other kids here, but they won't tell if I talk to them, and the caretaker Ama- chan never pays attention except when something really bad happens, we'll just pass you off as servant kids and no one will be the wiser. You can play with us until lessons begin late in the the afternoon."

At the end of his explanation Rin grinned again. "You should probably go now, the guards will make their rounds here soon.. and don't forget your clothes." He added before skipping off in the direction of the palace again.

Haru didn't look after him and instead slipped his clothes back on before crawling out to the dirty, dry street with Makoto. They hurried on their way home, knowing that it wasn't safe in the city at night, even close to the palace.

Neither of them spoke until they had almost reached their neighborhood. It wasn't outstandingly poor, but still far from rich, so a few of the houses looked worn down. When the first of those houses they knew so well came into sight Haru looked to the side, away from Makoto. "Why?", he simply asked.

He couldn't see Makoto smile, but he heard it in his voice. "Because I want you to be happy." Makoto answered and when Haru's stomach did the flip-flop it was so good at, he was glad that he looked away, because Makoto really didn't need to see how red his cheeks were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little offering of a first chapter. If you did, nothing would make me happier than a review telling me so. Constructive criticism would be very welcome. So would be the pointing out of mistakes, because I don't have a beta reader and I'm not a native English speaker. I like to believe that my English is decent enough for someone who never was abroad, but you never know where a typo or inconsistency might sneak in, or whether you are totally overestimating your own ability.
> 
> If you'd like me to continue this, I have a few more chapters which only need of a bit of editing and fine-tuning and a whole host of follow up chapters which are largely planned out but not brought to paper in detail yet. Depending on the demand updates could be coming quicker or slower, if there is no demand at all I might stop posting completely or reorientate to something different soon. So take the story as you will and be so good to let me know.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we have chapter two. Hope you enjoy.

The next morning Haru woke up a lot earlier than he usually would and dug his way out of his blankets. They weren't very thick but his grandmother always made sure that he was warm during the night.

After he had crawled out of bed he immediately set about fulfilling his daily tasks. Straightening out his bed, then cleaning the entryway to the tiny two room house he and his grandmother shared, and lastly his favourite task: getting Water from the well.

Granted, the amount the guards assigned them never seemed like enough, but being anywhere near the cool substance always served to lift Haru's spirits. Predictably Makoto was just as excited as he was and had been driven out of bed by nerves (and his toddler siblings) early too.

They met at Haru's doorstep just as Makoto stepped up to knock and see if Haru was awake already. The brunette smiled and tilted his head as usual. "Hello Haru-chan. I thought you might be up, let's get water together."

"Drop the -chan" Haru intoned flatly, before they went on their way to the well, where a crowd had gathered as per usual. It wasn't like there really was water in the well. It had just been declared the designated place to receive the daily ration of water for the inhabitants of this neighborhood.

There had been hardly any rain for a few years now. Haru didn't know how exactly that worked, but his grandmother had told him that because there was no rain most of the wells had dried out, and only the richer parts of the city and the palace had sources of water left. 'Because their wells are deeper.' His grandma had said.

Haru didn't know if he believed that, and if it really was true he didn't understand why they couldn't share more of their water. The measly bucket he carried home every day didn't seem enough by far.

Makoto would always carry two, because his family was so much larger, and that too seemed way too little.

Soon they were standing in line and waiting their turn until they finally got their water after waiting for far too long, if you asked Haru, they brought their spoils home.

They first stopped at Makoto's house and unloaded the water before continuing to Haru's grandma who by now had awoken and smiled at them from her position sitting at the doorstep and mending clothes.

It had been her way to earn their livelihood for as long as Haru could remember, and although he knew that there was a little bit of gold that his parents had left as his inheritance, before they up an disappeared years ago, he also knew that his grandmother wouldn't touch it, not until there was no other way to care for him than using the money.

He had tried to convince her to let him do more to help and maybe earn some money, but her steadfast refusal had frustrated him quickly. Soon he had resigned himself to just do whatever he could around the house, to take the strain of off the old woman.

His grandma looked fondly at him and just as fondly at Makoto "Oh hello, Makoto. You know where to place the water, Haru. Very well. Now, today is market day and I need a few things. So if you two would be so kind, to go there and get me a sack of flour, and some fish maybe.

"Oh and fruit too, but remember Haru-." "Pay attention to the prices." He finished emotionlessly. His grandmother nodded, smiling. Haru knew what he was supposed to do; this was not the first time, she didn't need to treat him like a child.

On their way back they passed Makoto's house again and he asked his mother if she needed something too. They were sent on their way with orders not to buy anything unless it was really cheap, and nowadays nothing ever seemed to be.

Their neighborhood was too small to have its own market so they had to walk to the entertainment district, which had the market closest to them. 

Colorful drapes and cloth was everywhere and to Haru it almost seemed too bright to the eyes. He knew the brightest ones of them, usually hung in front of entrances, marked the dancing houses. At night people would pay to listen to music and watch other people dance there. He didn't understand the appeal of it, which was just as well because in most of them children weren't allowed.

Now during the day it was a friendly, bright and to Haru's eternal annoyance loud district. There were vendors at every corner, selling cheap jewelry, cloth and pottery and daily necessities like bread and flour and what little produce in vegetables the richer parts of the city could afford to give away.

Usually not the freshest products with the best variety of course, which was why days like this one, market days, were cause for excitement. Once or twice a month traders and merchants would come into the city from faraway places Haru couldn't pronounce and wouldn't know where to search for. They brought dried fruits, exotic nuts and pickled vegetables with them; fish and meat, salted or dried so it could be preserved longer and all manner of spices.

Once his grandmother had taken him to one of the even richer markets just to have a look and there Haru had seen jewelry made from the most beautiful stones and fabrics so vibrant in color and so soft to the touch that he had thought they were woven of the same material as dreams were.

There also had been toys, musical instruments and tiny intricate figurines, some of which even had moving parts that could be wound up.

All of that was of course much too expensive for their small budget, but walking among all this wonders still had fascinated Haru at the time, even if he hadn't shown it. Of course that had been when he was younger and didn't understand that what he saw, was an entirely different world from the one he lived in, and that he was unlikely to ever cross the border.

As he moved along the market in companionable silence with his friend, listening to the vendors shout and trying to tune out the flood of people and their never ending chattering, he tried just like everyone else to find the best products for the best price.

He had just found a stand that was selling figs at an affordable price and was about to take his pick when something small and crying barreled into him at full speed. He landed on his behind with Makoto immediately at his side, fussing and helping Haru to his feet. Haru mumbled that he was fine and immediately checked for his money.

After he had ascertained that everything was still there he turned his attention to his attacker. Predictably, Makoto was now fretting over the small intruder who had fallen to the ground too and was crying large tears.

It was a little girl, who looked a few years younger than them, and was dressed in colorful airy fabrics that were common for dancers. The blond hair on her head fell in soft locks around a round face and when Makoto's soft voice had calmed her down enough that she stopped crying Haru could see that her eyes were a shining pink.

She now rubbed her eyes and let Makoto help her to her feet. As the little girl sniffled softly before apologizing to Haru in a small voice, Haru just nodded, not knowing what else to do. The blonde opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a loud call of "Nagisa!"

Instead of saying what she wanted to say she squeaked, and obviously afraid, tried to run away again.

Haru didn't like this situation at all and instead of letting the girl, Nagisa, run away he pushed her, as gently as was possible under the circumstances, behind a barrel filled with figs and placed himself and Makoto in a way that hid the blonde.

Only seconds later a bunch of boys their age ran past them and called the girl's name in sneering, mocking voices. When they had passed them Makoto turned around at once and worriedly looked at the girl who had tears shining in her eyes again and was pulling her skinny knees close to her body.

Haru looked at her from the corner of his eye but stayed quiet as Makoto worked his big brother magic once again. When Nagisa had calmed down enough Makoto softly asked her "Nagisa is your name, right?" The girl just nodded and let Makoto help her stand once again. "Thank you for hiding me." She said, playing with the edge of her top.

Haru looked to the side and Makoto smiled at her softly and started on reassuring her that it was only normal that they helped her, when another cry of Nagisa's name drew their attention again. This time it sounded worriedworried, a bit frantic even.

This didn't seem to reassure Nagisa who tried hiding behind Makoto and Haru again, when a girl that was maybe 15 years old, dressed in a blue hued dancer outfit, approached them. "Excuse me, have you seen my little sister, she'-" "I am NOT your sister!" came the indignant cry from behind them.

Haru and Makoto both turned, and looked from one to the other, the resemblance was definitely there. "I know that, silly, but I thought it would be easier to find you when I asked for my sister."

Nagisa didn't look pleased by the answer. "I'm a boy! I was bullied again, because of YOU!" the boy, apparently, huffed and looked unhappily at what turned out to be his sister after all.

Haru glanced at Makoto and could practically feel the wave of guilt roll off of his best friend for getting the wrong picture.

The black haired boy himself had very little such qualms. While he didn't like his own girly name and greatly disliked those bullies, he couldn't fault himself for taking Nagisa for a girl, not with that perfect an image.

The two of them watched the siblings argue for another few minutes before his sister lost her patience, grabbed the little boy's hand and pulled him with her, towards one of the dancing houses. Pink eyes looked at them longingly over a tiny shoulder.

The friends looked at each other, Haru impassive and Makoto with his smile tainted by worry, before they continued their grocery trip.

Soon they had everything they needed and quickly moved it back to their homes, neither of them wanting to be late to their play date with the prince. Or, in Haru's case, with the pool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention that this will be an extremely slow burn fanfiction? Because it will be. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and will drop me a bit of feedback


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Haru experiences a new emotion or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that my exposition is probably getting out of hand, but that's just how I roll, and this particular habit of mine probably will get worse before it gets better.
> 
> Without further ado: Chapter 3. Enjoy.

It wasn't quite noon yet when they stood in front of the palace walls once again. Haru looked up at them and took a deep breath. This was it. They were actually doing this, entering a deal with a spoiled brat that could probably ruin their lives at a whim.

He thought about the water and it was almost magical how easy it was to dismiss these concerns. He felt Mako shake next to him and took one of his hands encouragingly, squeezing slightly but looking away.

Stupid Makoto, he had been the one to agree to this. He shouldn't do unnecessary things if he was going to be this afraid. Makoto lightly squeezed back and immediately was shaking a little bit less.

Haru could feel his gaze and when he turned back to face his friend he nodded slightly which Makoto returned before the both of the looked around a final time for guards and then quickly disappeared behind the barrels hiding the small hole in the wall.

They did their very best to be quiet because they could hear voices within the walls and it wasn't completely impossible that a guard from the outside might spot them. And then everything would be over.

Which was why Mako's shifting and making the barrels move was very annoying to him right now. He turned around do give him a piece of his mind and froze.

„Wow... Are you two going to the palace?" There sat Nagisa, now in simpler clothes, but still very much looking like a girl, next to him. He didn't answer which prompted the smaller boy to open his mouth once more, presumably to ask again.

Out of the corner of his eye Haru saw Makoto flinch and terror spread over his face, and before the blond kid could make another peep Haru firmly clamped his hand over his mouth and made a shush motion.

Nagisa looked at him wide eyed but nodded and Haru slowly took his hand away. This was so bothersome, would Rin allow another boy in? They could just tell Nagisa to go, but something in those pink eyes made Haru think that the attempt would be futile.

Makoto looked like he might have a heart attack at any second and Haru felt a headache coming on. Then he heard the laughter from inside the wall. Children. So it apparently had started and they would get their signal soon.

He looked back at Nagisa, who was beaming and sighed, not like they could do anything about that now. Then he glanced at Makoto who looked equal parts excited and scared out of his wits. At least Nagisa was quiet now.

Before he could do anything else he saw a ball roll into his sight behind the bush hiding them from the inside and then Rin's grinning face appeared and his hand lifted to wave them in. However it halted midway as he frowned at Nagisa.

"I thought we'd keep that between us!" He whispered to Haru in a low and almost betrayed voice, which Haru found extremely grating.

"He followed us. It's not our fault." He hissed back and looked to Nagisa who had tears welling up in his eyes. Next his eyes darted to Makoto who no doubt had noticed and now fixed Haru with a look that was half disappointment and half reproach before placing on arm consolingly around Nagisa's skinny shoulders.

Next his green eyes settled on the Prince with an expression Haru knew all too well. It was the look that got him out of the water barrels that one time when the guards had left them alone for a minute, the one that stopped him from climbing into the fish tank that had once been set up in one of the shops of the larger Markets, the one that could make even Makoto's toddler siblings that didn't understand much of anything yet, go quiet, the one that put puppies to shame.

No one, from cats, to old ladies, to merchants and to Haru himself could deny the pleading emerald eyes, and it seems royal blood wasn't protection against Makoto's charms either because Haru could see the second Rin folded under the unvoiced plea, turned his head up, hands stemmed into his hips "Fine, she can come too. But she has to behave."

Haru could practically see the high pitched whine form in Nagisa's throat and was grateful when Makoto clamped his hand over the smaller boy's mouth before he could attract attention.

Blue eyes glared at Rin, suddenly feeling the urge to defend Nagisa, after all Rin didn't have to be a bully about this."HE has a name. It's Nagisa."

Rin did a disbelieving double take, but wisely held his tongue and just waved them inside, "Whatever, hurry up, Ama-chan is talking with her boyfriend in the kitchens at the moment, so she's not there right now. Not that it really makes a difference."

Haru scrunched up his nose after he had crawled through the hole and followed Rin into the open, Nagisa close behind and Makoto forming the rear.

"How do you know it's her boyfriend?" Makoto asked, ever eager to start a conversation.

In return Rin grinned at him "I overheard one of the servants talk about how she caught them making out behind the stables."

He changed his voice in a very obvious imitation of the maid "It would be a scandal too, if that came out. She's at court if nothing else and he some cook from the entertainment district. Might have been a concubine too, but that's out now, isn't it?"

Haru pretended to listen but his eyes where already glued to the water where a dozen or so children were splashing around.

"What's a concubine?" Makoto asked next to him and Rin, obviously proud because he knew, puffed his chest out. "A concubine is a woman who lives in a harem, and they are all really pretty,and they can dance and sing and play instruments and when the king allows they sit on your lap and kiss you and stuff."

It seemed to answer Makoto's question sufficiently and he nodded, looking over to Haru who frankly thought, that that sounded really gross and was already halfway out of his clothes while Nagisa was bouncing up and down next to Makoto. "Oh oh, the dancers at home sometimes do that! Are they concubines?"

Rin raised an eyebrow at him "You have dancers at your home? And no, they are not." But he didn't sound as secure in the assertion now.

Haru was by now fully stripped and just wanted to get into the water, and as annoying as waiting for Rin's permission was, he really didn't want to ruin his chances here.

His eyes fixed on Nagisa as the boy giggled, "Of course I do silly, it's a dancing house!"

Makoto started fussing at once when he saw Rin's face go red. "Nagisa! He is the prince!"

Pink eyes went even wider as they turned back to Rin and his mouth was in an o shape "The prince! So cool!"

This seemed to calm Rin right down and at this point Haru asked himself if his chest ever was not puffed out at all. He looked way too proud standing there like that and he was sure that his grandma would flick his ear if he ever bragged like that. "Of course I am cool, but I didn't get you in here to chitchat, let's get into the water already."

Which was really all the permission Haru needed to take a nose dive between the other kids, fortunately it seemed that Rin was as good as his words where they were concerned, because neither of them really spared Haru a second glance when he came back up again and shook his hair out. When he looked up he saw Makoto already sitting down just dangling his feet in, smiling at Haru brightly.

Nagisa followed suit, undressing and proving beyond a doubt that he was in fact not a girl as he splashed in the water next to Haru. From his comfortable floating position in the water he watched Rin shaking his head with an obnoxious grin on his face. It didn't matter though, the water felt fantastic and Haru enjoyed every second floating in it. Consciously moving in it was a strange feeling, he had never really known, but soon he was getting accustomed to it. Just as his relaxation seemed complete, he felt someone resurface next to him and opened his blue eyes, just to stare passively into red ones.

The prince was grinning at him "You can't swim, can you?" Haru furrowed his brow. What a stupid question. Where would he have learned to do that, with the nobles hogging all the water? Just before he could give the arrogant prince a piece of his mind the other boy continued: "You weren't doing badly, considering. Maybe I can teach you?"

The idea of being taught anything by that spoiled brat seemed nothing short of ridiculous, however, moving more efficiently might just improve the experience even further. From the corner of his eye he searched for Makotos opinion, but the green eyed boy was already in conversation with the other children, laughing and smiling and being his typical friendly self. Haru didn't like it one bit and turned his attention to the prince who was watching him impatiently.

"I guess you can give me some pointers." He stated neutrally. Luckily the other boy apparently wasn't expecting the bout of groveling Haru feared he might. Instead he puffed his chest and told Haru to observe as he swam around in front of him.

Ít all looked very intuitive and sure enough it was rather easy for Haru to copy the redhead and soon he was swimming circles happily and even trying new movements out.

As he resurfaced he saw Rin grinning proudly, as if he had done a lot to get that result. It was annoying, but since he had helped a little bit Haru gave him a nod of acknowledgment. The Prince grinned even more at that and started swimming next to Haru for a while.

"Very good for a beginner, but you are still slow of course." He said and then overtook the blue eyed boy. Haru felt his eyes narrow despite himself, what did he care about speed? He just loved the water. At the same time, he would love to make that bratty prince eat his words. But try as he might, he could not catch the prince. He could see that this amused Rin immensely, which in turn annoyed Haru to his core.

When it was time for the palace children to go back inside for their lessons, him, Makoto and Nagisa snuck back out the way they had come. As they walked home Nagisa was chattering incessantly, and Makoto, saint that the was, was listening attentively. Haru kept himself out of the conversation, until they parted ways with Nagisa close to the entertainment district. As the little boy was waving at them while running home, Haru felt Makoto's eyes on him. Although he was smiling there was worry in them. Haru took one of Makotos hands and squeezed it reassuringly for a second.

Of course, what they were doing was dangerous, but it had turned out well. Haru had been allowed to really swim for the first time in his life, and as he went home with his best friend he realized that he had had another feeling for the first time in his life: He really wanted to show that brat how much better a swimmer he could be.

~

Haru was not happy.

Okay, that was not entirely true. The regular access to the royal pool he had enjoyed for a month now was doing wonders for him, as did steadily improving his swimming and by now being able to catch up to Rin, at least occasionally.

So his life in general was actually looking up. It was just one particular thing, that he hated at this particular moment. Rin was talking to Makoto. Rin was making Makoto laugh. Of course it was great that Makoto was happy, but did it have to be because of that guy?

„Hey Haru?" He heard next to him, and could just stop himself from startling as he turned around and looked into curious pink eyes, framed by blonde bangs. Nagisa was peering at him interestedly, as he lifted himself from his half-submerged state to be able to speak to the smaller boy. "Yes?" he intoned passively.

"Is everything alright?" Nagisa asked, concern lighting up his pink eyes. Haru sighed, it really wasn't any of the blondes business. He wasn't even supposed to be here. Quite frankly if Nagisa wasn't so persistent on following them around, and if Makoto wasn't so soft hearted, Haru would made have sure that the blonde knew it too. Everyone who knew of this arrangement was increasing the risk of the whole thing blowing up in their face, a risk that was big enough as it was.

But looking at the sincere worry in Nagisa's eyes Haru didn't have it in him to tell the small boy that. "Yeah everything is alright." He could see that Nagisa didn't believe him, but there was nothing he could do about that, so he instead drifted back into the water.

His peaceful drift was not to last for long however as he dully heard his name through the water. He emerged, shaking out his hair. The source of his disturbance was Rin, who waved him over to the edge of the water. Nagisa was already sitting there, and Makoto had sat there the whole time, as he had done every day since the arrangement had started. Annoyed but intrigued Haru swam over to the other boys.

As he approached he heard Makoto, his voice sad as he talked about the dead puppy they had found, and given a proper burial the day before on their way home. Makoto was always too sensitive, strays dying from lack of water was not uncommon. It wasn't possible to save all of them, even though Makoto had secretly started putting his water rations out for the stray cats and dogs of the neighbourhood, "It's okay, we can drink as much as we want at the palace, right?" he had said. Haru wasn't sure if that was a good idea, it still wouldn't be enough for all of the strays, and they might fight over it. It probably wasn't even enough when Haru started to, unbeknownst to Makoto, add half of his as well.

As he arrived at the edge Makoto was finished with his story. Haru took the hand his friend offered to pull himself out and sat down next to him, looking expectantly at the prince, who to his credit was looking rather sympathetic and thoughtful. Then his expression changed to a more determined one and he nodded at Makoto "I'll see what I can do." From the corner of his eye Haru saw Makoto's face lighting up. He just hoped that whatever Rin had just promised, he would follow up on.

At least the prince seemed to be getting to the point of this round up as he looked around, presumably for the guardian, who was sitting in the shade a bit further away, apparently busy with her flute. Next he looked to the other children, who seemed to be busy with a new ball game. Satisfied with that Rin leaned in conspiratorially as did the other boys. "Okay, we don't have much time, so I'll make this quick. I want to get out of here for a day, and you promised to be my guides, so the day after tomorrow will be perfect for that. I'll actually have the day for myself, ând I overheard the guards talking about extra training, so there will be fewer out in the streets. But I need you to bring me commoner clothing and something to cover my hair."

Haru met Makotos worried gaze and sighed, Makoto had agreed to the deal on his behalf after all. So he nodded agreement "When?" Rin grinned broadly "I'll be ready when the sun rises." The redhead answered.

"Won't you be missed at breakfast?" Makoto asked worriedly, an objection Rin just waved away. "My sister will cover for me. She's been sick for quite a while so you haven't met her yet, but she's great. Besides I often explore the palace, and when I do no one can find me either, as long as I get back for dinner it will be fine." Haru exchanged a sceptical look with Makoto, but they didn't really have a choice, so Haru nodded.

"Then I can show you my home!" Nagisa exclaimed happily and was shushed by a flustered Makoto. "Yes but we have to keep it a secret, you can keep a secret right?" his green eyed friend asked kindly but nervously.

Nagisa pouted a bit "Of course I can. I'm keeping this one, aren't I?" Rin nodded approvingly. With a look to the sun and a grin, the redhead informed them that they better get going now, since it was becoming time for afternoon lessons.

As they walked through the dusty streets, with Nagisa skipping around them energetically, Haru looked at Makoto once again seeking any signs of serious distress. To be sure his friend was worrying at his lip. "We don't have to do this you know?" he offered Makoto. Sure it would be annoying to lose the water, but now that he knew Rin a bit better he didn't think the prince would tell on them if they broke the agreement off.

Green eyes turned to him, widening in surprise, then softening into the kind smile he knew so well, and which made his stomach flip yet again. "No, I want to. It makes you happy, so it's alright." Haru frowned at that, this was so typical of Makoto and it made Haru feel so uneasy that he looked away and continued walking silently at Makoto's side. He could hear his friend's suppressed chuckle.

Haru was glad that Nagisa had split from them as usual, he really didn't need the noisy boy to ask questions about his red cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer than the first ones, and the one directly after this will be even longer.
> 
> After that I hope to be able to break it up into smaller chapters, so I can upload a new one every few days.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rin gets his day out, Haru is confused and jealous, inappropriate things are done and seen (curtesy of Nagisa) and Makoto is just being Makoto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one, and I am as unhappy as ever with it.
> 
> But I do hope that you enjoy.

It was still dark when Haru tried to sneak out of the house, pack of extra clothing under his arm.

Every step rang in his ears like bricks falling, and the short hallway suddenly seemed impossibly long.

Inching forward he was almost convinced that he would not make it out of the house unnoticed. A worry that proved true as he tried walking past the room that was both their eating and living space and held his grandmothers bed.

"Haruka", he heard his grandmothers voice, still half asleep, but clear enough. He held in the sigh, and stopped in his tracks, contemplating for a moment if he should pretend that he was not actually here. Listening to his Grandmothers breath he realized that she was fully awake now and was just waiting, patiently as always, for him to come to her.

Bracing himself he let the clothes fall and shyly walked into the familiar room that always smelled like the peppermint oil his granny used for her hands. The scent was usually comforting, but now it just made him feel guilty.

His grandmother was sitting up in bed, waiting for him, smiling silently until he sat down on the edge of the creaking sleeping place.

"I don't know what you have been up to." she started, and Haru felt even worse for what he had been doing the past few weeks. "and I don't really care." His head snapped around so fast that it made him slightly dizzy as he looked at his beloved granny.

"Now, now, no need to be this surprised. Haruka, I know you're a good boy, so whatever is going on, I'm sure it's not hurting anyone. Although Makoto's nerves might be suffering more than usual." she added with a smile, at which Haru rolled his eyes. Of course. Makoto was too obvious. Her laugh at his eye roll turned into one of the coughing fits Haru hated so much. When it was over she continued.

"Now, don't look at me like that, this is about you. You have been happier for the past few weeks, and whatever caused that change, I am grateful for it. Just promise me one thing: If you do need help, don't put your old granny down by trying to solve the problem on your own. I may be old, but I'm still responsible for you, and I'll be very upset if you don't trust me with that, you hear? Now run along, Makoto is probably waiting already."

Haru nodded, still a bit dumbstruck and moved towards the hallway. It only took a few steps until his emotions hit him full force and he was overcome with relief. He swiftly turned around and ran back into his granny's arms, burrowing against her and suppressing tears of gratitude.

He felt her pet his hair softly and after calming down a bit he looked up into her kind eyes, a pale blue, dulled by age, although her eyesight was still good. He felt like he should thank her, but the words wouldn't come, and her sweet smile really convinced him that she understood him perfectly well without them.

"Won't you be late?" she asked softly. Haru nodded quickly, kissed his grandma on the cheek and ran out, grabbing the bundle of clothes on the way.

~ 

He met Makoto at the intersection between their streets, where the other boy was squatting on the ground and trying to lure a cat toward himself. The little animal however didn't seem to trust so easily, which resulted in Makoto giving up with a sigh and noticing Haru with a tired smile.

As the other boy stood up to his full height and yawned with a stretch, Haru made his way towards him and they were soon on their way. "You didn't sleep well." Haru said, worried about his friend. Makoto chuckled softly, unable to hide his sleepiness. "I guess I am pretty nervous, and then I played with the twins until late so they would be tired out today. It worked for them, but for me too it seems."

"So you could sneak out, huh?" Haru asked, keeping his voice even, although he was still in a bit of emotional turmoil. Makoto nodded and Haru felt green eyes looking at him from the side "My parents are just glad when they actually get to sleep through a night, so because the twins didn't wake them, no one noticed. Why?" Makoto looked at him, mind probably still sluggish from too little sleep, yet worrying and fussing already.

Haru looked away, damning himself for exposing his feelings that way. Now Makoto would know anyway, so he sighed. "Grandma noticed" he stated neutrally, but quickly added "but it's alright, she doesn't know why, and she wasn't angry." There, that should nip Makoto's worry in the bud.

They walked in silence for a few moments until Haru gathered the courage to look at Makoto who was watching him, smiling. Haru felt heat well up in his cheeks and willed it to not turn into colour. "Your Grandma is the best, Haru." Makoto said softly and Haru really didn't know what to said to that so he nodded and walked with Makoto in silence.

They reached the palace as the sky was turning the first shades of dark orange. Hiding in the shadow of one of the larger buildings they watched the scene to make sure it was safe to go in. Nagisa still was nowhere to be seen, even as a bright orange sky was giving way to more and more clear, cloudless blue.

Haru exchanged worried looks with Makoto, they couldn't really wait much longer. On the other hand they couldn't have Nagisa run around without instructions either. A few more minutes went by until Haru made his decision. "You wait here, and when Nagisa is here you organise a lookout to make sure that coming out is safe. I'm going in." He could see that Makoto was apprehensive but the green eyed boy still nodded in agreement.

With one last look along the palace walls to be sure no one was looking Haru sped across the road and practically dived behind the barrels and into the hole. Coming out behind the shrub on the other side for cover he looked around for a head of red hair.

Sure enough the prince was sitting on one of the stepping stones with his feet hanging into the water and only dressed in a long under-shirt. He looked wistful, maybe even a bit sad, Haru couldn't help but thinking. Haru gave the water a longing glance, realising that a little dip would be just about perfect to steady his nerves right now.

Instead of dwelling on either of those thoughts he rustled the shrub a bit to alert Rin to his presence. It worked well enough, Rin looked up and looked around, trying to look inconspicuous. After a few moments he seemed satisfied and quickly came over to Haru hiding next to him and beaming.

Haru maintained his neutral expression and wordlessly handed his clothes to Rin, who eagerly slipped into the over-shirt, and the wide pants. Lastly he attempted to tie the piece of beige cloth Haru had brought for his hair around his red locks.

The prince was failing miserably at the task and Haru had to suppress a slight grin at that. After watching him struggle for a while Haru stretched his hand out, a silent offer to help. Although the redhead was pouting over not managing alone, he gave the cloth back to Haru who quickly and expertly hid all strands of red hair under it.

Rin touched Haru's creation in awe and grinned thankfully. Haru tried to stop the infectious grin from pulling at the corner of his mouth and turned back towards their exist. He softly chucked out a small blue marble he had brought to show Makoto they were ready.

Another minute went by with him and Rin looking over their shoulders and listening intently, still worried that someone would come. Finally a green marble was rolling their way and Haru nodded and let Rin crawl behind the barrels first before following himself.

Moments later the both of them, together with Makoto had crossed the road and reached Nagisa on the other side.

From the corner of his eye Haru watched the prince take the dusty street and the buildings in, maroon eyes shining with fascination and excitement.

Haru cleared his throat. "You are out, what now?" he asked the prince. Rin's eyes wandered thoughtfully around the buildings and streets, then he grinned at Haru and leaned into his personal space. "I want to see how you live, soo.. just do what you usually do and I'll be in the background. You won't even know I'm there."

Haru doubted that very much but nodded nevertheless, before exchanging a look with Makoto. His best friend smiled at the other two boys. "Then I guess we will go to our neighbourhood first since we still have chores to do."

Nagisa was skipping excitedly around them as they moved in the direction of their homes. The blond boy had come over before, but he was still way to exited every time. Haru sometimes wondered at the conundrum that was Nagisa. Sometimes he was desperate to get away from his home, sometimes he kept pestering them to come visit.

Rin was no less excited and his head kept turning to take in everything. Haru didn't understand why he was so interested. The roads and buildings were brown, dusty and all the same, with only coloured awnings adding a bit of variety. And even those were often old, worn and bleached by the sun to a point were they blended into the dull backgrounds. There really was no reason why royalty should be interested in any of it.

As they walked Makoto gave a running commentary. He talked about the strays in the neighbourhood, about the old ladies his mother sometimes cleaned for, about the girls who sat in one of the entrances braiding each others hair, about the ball game a few boys played at the well.

Rin looked interested in the mundane stories, asking many questions and Makoto looked more than happy to talk to someone who listened so attentively. The content gleam in the green eyes caused a slight twist in Haru's chest and he felt bad all of a sudden.

When they walked past the well Makoto led them not to their homes but a bit outward through a little path, winding between the houses. Haru knew where they were going, but wasn't sure that he liked what Makoto was about to share with the others.

Following Makoto the other boys apparently had noticed that the mood had shifted, at least they were uncharacteristically quiet while moving along the shadowy path.

When they finally came out at the other end, squinting into the light, the first thing falling into view was the city walls, looming ahead and overshadowing the expanse before them. The ground was littered with slight bumps and brown, dried up tufts of grass. Some of the bumps were marked with decorative stone and wood sculptures, bust most were bare and looked forgotten.

Rin held his breath and Nagisa looked questioningly between the older boys. Makoto quietly led the way and Haru understood less and less why his friend was doing this.

They walked to a small niche in the wall, to small for a human, but filled with half a dozen tiny bumps. Haru knew these all to well. He had helped Makoto dig every one of them, and together they had buried several dead strays Makoto had known by sight over the last few years.

This place made Makoto sad, it was too emotional, it was their place. Why on earth would he bring the others here. They didn't understand, they couldn't understand Makoto's kindness.

"This... is a graveyard isn't it?" Nagisa asked sadly, breaking Haru from his thoughts. Apparently the smaller boy never had been to one. No body felt the need to answer as they stood over the animal graves for a moment, as if paying their respects.

When Makoto led them back smiling sadly, Haru heard Rin talk to him in a quiet voice. "Thank you." was all he heard, and it sounded sincere. Haru didn't understand, he didn't get what was going on and he just hated that feeling.

The mood was subdued as they walked back the path to the well. The place where before only a handful of people had been was now bustling with life as more and more people were going about their business, some of them already getting in line before any water was handed out.

Upon Makoto's explanation Rin looked resigned and a bit guilty. Haru found all of this extremely depressing and took the lead, moving them faster in the direction of their homes.

As always they came first into the sight of the Tachibana household, Makoto's parents as always around this time were sitting on their flat roof under an awning and weaving linen. Their skill was one of the reason their neighbourhood looked better than many others. The both of them would sometimes gift their amazing fabrics and rugs to those who were just married, had just had a child or had done them a favour. And the neighbours naturally would proudly display the wonderfully patterned works on their homes or make clothes of them, which normally they wouldn't have been able to afford.

"I guess we will visit with my family first." Makoto suggested shyly and led the way into their 3 room house, with the others filing in behind him and Haru forming the rear.

Inside everything was silent, but innumerable rolls of cloth and rug were leaning against the walls and hanging down from them, betraying the Tachibana's profession. Rin stopped to take them in and touched one that was intricately patterned in greens and blues, "I know this one, the regent likes to wear it!"

Makoto smiled, a hint of pride in his eyes, "Yes, this pattern sells really well with the nobles."

Nagisa hummed happily "You parents are amazing Makoto, I think the mistress has some of these as well." Haru was not sure who that was supposed to be, and he didn't care enough to ask. In any case he could agree with Nagisa's estimation of the Tachibanas.

Makoto led them through the room to a ladder hidden in the back and climbed up into the sun. the others followed quickly, and soon they were standing on the Tachibana's flat roof.

"I'm home" he called softly, interrupting his parents conversation. Both turned their heads at once.

"Oh, hello Makoto, Haru, Nagisa.. Who is your friend?" his mother asked at once, getting up from where she had been busy with a red dye. Rin stepped forward confidently and smiled politely as he inclined his head in a slight bow "My name is Rin." he said lightly.

"My, aren't you polite? And handsome too." Rin blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head, still grinning. Makoto's father was laughing softly in the background.

"The twins are still asleep, so we haven't had breakfast yet. Soon as you get the water your friends can eat with us. Oh and Haru, why don't you invite your grandmother, too? I want to talk to her about new clothes for Makoto, he is growing so fast." she ended on a motherly note looking at her son adoringly, which in turn made Makoto blush.

Haru nodded softly. From the corner of his eye he saw Rin's attempts to have a peek at the work the Tachibana's were doing.

"Do you want to have a look dear? You can just ask." Makoto's mother asked, ever accomodating. Rin nodded enthusiastically and let himself be led to where Makoto's father was working. Nagisa skipped after him and sat down next to them.

Haru sighed, apparently getting water had been pushed down on the to do list. He looked to Makoto, still wondering what was going on. His friend smiled at him as usual "Do you want to look at the twins?" he asked softly and Haru nodded. He didn't particularly care to, but Makoto was crazy about his little siblings, so Haru complied. The two 3 year olds were lying on a rug in the shade of the awning, peacefully asleep with arms and legs thrown out.

Makoto sat down next to them and watched over them quietly. Haru couldn't help but think that this image showcased the character of his best friend perfectly.

As they sat there quietly he enjoyed a soft breeze blowing through his black hair, tuning out Rin and Nagisa's questions and the Tachibana's patient answers, for a moment just existing in peace next to his best friend.

The peace was not to last of course. Rin's curiosity was soon sated and the prince rudely awoke Haru from his peace by addressing Makoto. "Wow, they are so cute! What are their names?"

Makoto's face lit up "This is Ren, and this is Ran.", he said, pointing at the respective twins. "They are the best, although they have way to much energy."

"You play with them a lot?" Rin asked. Makoto nodded, and Haru definitely could attest to that. His after dinner playtime had been the first casualty when Makoto had started spending most of his evenings with the twins.

"You are really nice Makoto, you know that?" Rin stated, brazenly, and it made Haru bristle inside. It was true of course. He didn't even know why it bothered him so much.

Makoto coughed, embarrassed. "I- I guess?" he stammered.

Haru rolled his eyes, of course Makoto would react that way.

"We should go now", Haru cut in and led the way back down. As they went out Makoto grabbed his two small buckets, and they walked over the short distance to Haru's little home where his grandmother was sitting in front of the house, as always mending clothes.

"Good morning grandmother." Haru said softly and the beloved wrinkly face turned towards him. "Oh how lovely, you brought more friends. Who is that handsome boy? I don't think I know that face." Why did everyone have to comment on Rin's looks?

The redhead didn't seem to mind as he grinned and introduced himself. "I'm Rin, honoured to meet you."

"Rin, like the royal prince?" she asked, voice just a bit to innocent for Haru's taste, as she took in Rin's form, probably recognising Haru's clothing. There was a shrewdness in his grandmothers eyes that belied her unassuming look.

Rin, of course was flustered at once. "Yeah, I'm named after the prince, but I'm a commoner." he laughed nervously and Haru just barely restrained himself from groaning, now she had to know.

If she did, she didn't comment on it. "The Tachibanas, invite you to breakfast. Makoto needs new clothes." Haru relayed the message to change the subject. His grandmother looked in the air thoughtfully before smiling at him, "I'll go over right away. It's incredible how fast Makoto is growing."

She packed up her sewing and got up carefully while Haru quickly cleaned the entryway with a broom and got his bucket from inside. When he came back Rin had volunteered to carry his grandma's bag for her. He gave it back when she separated from them towards the Tachibana house and they went on to the well.

Rin and Nagisa joined a few other boys for a ball game, while he and Makoto waited in line. Once again he watched Makoto from the corner of his eye, trying to figure out what was going on. He couldn't shake the feeling that Makoto understood Rin's motivations for this whole thing. At least by now it was obvious that his friend and the prince had detailed agreements about this deal.

He wondered when that had happened.

He wondered how he hadn't known.

He wanted to ask, but for some reason the words stuck in his throat, so he stayed silent.

Soon it was their turn, and as they had their buckets filled from the large barrels Haru looked longingly at the vessels.

He understood water, water was simple.

He needed a swim.

When they took their now full buckets and moved out of the line Makoto stopped for a moment, and looked at Haru concerned. "Is everything alright? You have been more silent than usual."

Haru wasn't taken aback, of course Makoto knew, he always did. Well, he was not alright: Why was Makoto showing those loud mouths their special place? Why did he invite a stranger like Rin into his home? Why were he and Rin on such good terms? Why wasn't Makoto confused by any of this? And why oh why didn't Haru know why Makoto was doing any of it? Haru always knew about Makoto, he made it a point to know. How in the world had this new friendship slipped past him?

Of course he didn't say any of that. Instead he did his best to keep a neutral expression. "It's just weird."

Makoto leaned his head to the side. "You mean being guide?"

Why didn't Makoto understand? "All of it."

Makoto's concern deepened, Haru could see it in his eyes. Still, the brunette composed himself and although the worry remained it was veiled by a friendly smile. "We should really talk about this later, Haru."

'Yes, we need to talk, that's the problem.' Haru thought, not without bitterness. But for the moment they needed to get the water home, so he pushed those thoughts away.

Nagisa and Rin joined them again. The prince even took one of Makoto's buckets. Haru had to admit that it was a nice gesture, but also couldn't stop himself of questioning what Rin was trying to prove.

Driven by hunger they hurried to Makoto's home and put the water away, before going inside and into the living room, where a small breakfast of bread, pickled cabbage, figs and tea was waiting for them.

To his credit Rin didn't show any signs of finding the food lacking.

It was surprisingly peaceful around the low table, even though it was anything but silent. The twins were fussing and putting more food outside their mouth than in, between their attepts to talk to their father at the same time. Next to him Nagisa was complaining about his sisters to Makoto and his granny was discussing new overshirts for Makoto with his mother.

The only thing in this very familiar situation that bugged Haru was Rin, who just sat there, smiling contently. Somewhere inside Haru knew that he was being mean spirited, that Rin wasn't actually doing anything wrong. But he just couldn't stop himself from thinking that the other boy didn't belong here.

After they had finished their meal Makoto was pulled out by his mother to measure him for his new clothes. He really had grown again.

Haru wondered how tall Makoto would have to become before he stopped hiding behind him.

When Makoto was all measured out, they were sent on their way again, this time with instructions to get flax from the supplier in the entertainment district on their way back.

Nagisa was jumping up and down excitedly when they came out of the house. "Oh, oh can I lead now?"

Rin grinned at the little boy, "I guess we are going to your home now, so who'd be better as lead than you?"

Pink eyes shone brightly and soon they were following bobbing blonde hair, while listening to warnings that apparently applied when visiting Nagisa. "Careful around my sisters, they dress you like girls and eat happiness. You don't need to worry about stinkin' drunks yet, because they only come out when the dancing houses open, and that isn't for a while. I think right now is practice, so we can maybe watch that, don't get pulled into the practice, dancers know no mercy. On the other hand if we are lucky we can even get a massage before patrons come in after noon."

Haru exchanged looks with the other boys. Getting a massage sounded... weird to say the least. Green and maroon eyes looked just as confused as he felt.

Soon they had arrived in the entertainment district. It was still busy with the normal merchants offering their everyday wares, but not nearly as busy as on actual market days. Rin, of course was almost exploding with excitement, although there couldn't be anything on offer here that Rin had never seen.

With Nagisa as their guide they walked through the busy main street, listening to the little boy talk about everyone living or working here. Haru wondered just how Nagisa knew all those facts about who's business was struggling, who was in love with whom, even who had marriage trouble. Remembering all that alone seemed like too much of a pain, let alone find all of it out in the first place.

His feelings were mirrored on the faces of both Rin and Makoto. His best friend looked trapped between being overwhelmed by all that information and amazed at the sheer volume of Nagisa's memory.

Rin sported much the same face, but there was something else there that Haru couldn't really pin point.

When they arrived at a doorway draped with incredibly bright blue and pink fabrics Nagisa turned around to them dramatically. "Welcome to the Quartz Cobra, we will be glad to be of service to you." With a smile and an elegant bow Nagisa gestured them inside.

Haru couldn't think of a word for the sensation he felt, but weirded out probably came closest. Makoto was blushing a bit too, but Rin had taken on a colour that almost matched his hair. Still, they took the invitation and walked in with Nagisa following them.

The room they entered was large but dim, the walls decorated with colourful rugs, oil lamps and instruments. Against the wall countless large pillows were strewn out, interspersed with divans and small tables with weird longish glass and metal objects or incense on them. The room in the middle was free, and to one side there was a small heightened platform, where right now Nagisa's sister was sweeping the floor.

Haru didn't really like this place, the dark and the scents were oppressive to his senses.

Makoto and Rin however seemed more fascinated than overwhelmed with this new place, so he kept his mouth shut.

Nagisa made a shush motion to them and gestured towards a side door, they should go through. To no avail as it seemed, because his sister turned around at that moment and huffed upon seeing them. "There you are Nagisa, you ditched morning practice again!"

The blonde boy sighed theatrically. "I don't even do shows. Too young, remember? Besides I'm good enough! Unlike someone I always move with the rhythm."

"Oh, is that so. You can prove it at the next practice. In the mean time, why don't you introduce your friends?" It was the weirdest thing how she had started out scolding and was now sweetness personified.

Now it was Nagisa's turn to huff "Fine then, I'll prove it. These are Haru, Makoto and Rin. That's my sister Nanako. Can I go find mother now?"

"I don't think so, she is with the mistress right now, why?" Nanako had started sweeping again but was throwing a friendly smile their way. Haru could practically feel Makoto's blush and Rin's attempt to keep his cool was pretty obvious too.

Haru didn't really get the hassle. Sure there was nothing wrong with Nanako's face, she could even be called pretty, but there really was nothing to go crazy over either.

"I wanted to ask for massages. But if she's with the mistress it can't be helped." Nagisa sounded way too disappointed.

Apparently his sister thought so too. "Well, I could give some, your friends are very cute at least, so I wouldn't mind."

Nagisa seemed to be thinking about that offer very hard, before sighing dramatically. "It's okay I guess."

Nanako nodded, not even reacting to Nagisa's theatrics, and seemingly done with her cleaning brought them into a side room, where a very flat divan was waiting for them.

All of them except Nagisa felt obviously squeamish about this and Haru wondered what evil spell the blonde had cast that seemed to stop either of them from protesting.

"I think Makoto should go first!" Nagisa suggested. Haru was just remembering why he had done his very best to avoid a visit at Nagisa's.

Makoto however, though blushing and stammering still took off both of his shirts and lay down on the divan face down. Haru could see the mirth dancing in Nanako's eyes and her suppressed laugh, before she set to work.

Weirdly the tension and nerves seemed to drain out of Makoto just minutes after the girl had put her hands on him. Watching Makoto relax and progressively melt into the divan was equal parts fascinating and disturbing. It couldn't have been long until the girl declared her work done and Nagisa helped a dazed and weak kneed Makoto sit down next to Haru.

Rin was the next to volunteer, which was well enough because Haru wanted to talk to Makoto first, who unfortunately seemed lost for words. At least for a minute there was silence before Makoto's mind seemed to be back again. "Wow, Haru you should try that." Makoto sounded so earnest that it was very difficult for Haru to deny him, so he nodded.

After Rin contently collapsed in the pillows on the other side of Haru, he gathered his courage and took his turn. He had to admit that Nagisa's sister knew what she was doing. It was weird at first, being touched by a stranger, but after a moment all he felt was warmth. Muscles he didn't know had been cramped relaxed and his brain shut down all of his stressful thoughts.

By the time he got up he actually felt a lot better than he had before about this whole day.

Nagisa stood before them grinning happily."That's nice right? Even my sister isn't completely evil."

Nanako rolled her eyes. "Not my fault that you look like girl. I'm sorry that we can't always control ourselves, but you are just too cute!"

This didn't seem to make Nagisa happy and he just wanted to retort something, as a bell rang in the main room.

"Well, there is that practice where you wanted to prove yourself." Nanako taunted, then smiled at their visitors. "You'd like to watch I take it?"

Haru found "like" a bit too strong in this context, but still nodded along with Rin and Makoto and they filed into the main room where a dozen young women had already congregated and took seats on the pillows.

Nanako and Nagisa walked up to two older women, one of them obviously Nagisa's mother. Presumably to explain their visitors to them. Haru saw Nagisa's mother sigh and then the small boy disappeared behind a door and re-emerged a few minutes later, dressed in his dancer's outfit, this time with a vest instead of a top like the girls'.

During that time Nagisa's mother came over to them, smiling friendly. She thanked them for taking care of her little son, and apologized for any trouble the little bundle of energy might cause, before sauntering back in the middle of the room, airy red fabrics billowing around her.

On the platform girls with instruments were taking their places and soon practice started. Haru could admit that the music wasn't so bad, even if it was a bit loud. Even the dancers had their charms as they moved rhythmically, veils and shawls fluttering around them like colourful flames.

Even Nagisa hadn't been lying, he moved with surprising fluidity, although he wasn't nearly as elegant as the girls.

All in all it wasn't as terribly boring as Haru had thought it would be, and looking to his side he could clearly see that both Makoto and Rin where absolutely fascinated. On second thought Haru figured that that was a bit weird. Rin had to be used to things like this.

When the practice was finally done they clapped and Nagisa scampered off to change into his normal clothes.

Haru wished he would hurry up as the girls descended on them like vultures and draped themselves on the pillows around them, giggling, cooing and calling them cute. Haru found it very annoying and was glad when one of the older women, with long silver blonde hair clapped her hands and started giving instructions to the young women.

Minutes later, Nagisa was back again and pulled them out into the street again, where by now the mid day sun was burning down on them. Normally around this time they would be swimming in the palace pool and Haru felt more parched thinking about it.

"Lets go over the market!" Rin insisted, and Haru stopped himself from informing Rin that there really wasn't anything interesting there.

So, as nobility commanded they took detailed looks at all the stalls. Common pottery seemed to be especially interesting to the prince, as were common fabrics and simple sandals.

It just wasn't possible that this was so fascinating to Rin.

After Rin had taken his tour and bought them a handful of dried dates each, they made their way to the Tachibana's supplier, who was located at the edge between the entertainment and noble districts.

Makoto had a basket strapped to his back and filled with flax yarn in short order, and soon they were back on their way home.

Nagisa split of again when they walked past his home and his sister waved him over, presumably to attend another practice.

The whole way back Makoto was talking to Rin about anything and everything, and Haru was walking next to his best friend, silently.

When they got back, Makoto brought the raw materials onto the roof, where the twins were now awake, and demanding the attention of his parents.

Makoto noticed at once, and shot Haru a torn look. Haru sighed and Rin grinned "We can stay here and play with them, I don't mind."

This seemed to calm Makoto right down, and minutes later the three of them had the twins boxed in between them.

The next few hours were spent entertaining two very active three-year-olds, who seemed adamant on escaping and making life difficult for their parents.

With time they became more and more whiny and when they finally started to cry, Makoto's parents took them downstairs.

The three of them remained alone on the roof. Rin leaned back on his hands, closing his eyes, relaxed.

Makoto was smiling next to him, and in the quiet of the late afternoon, Haru thought that if he didn't ask his questions now, he wouldn't ever.

So he cleared his throat, looked at Rin directly and asked: "Why?"

Rin slowly opened his eyes, and looked at Haru grinning: "I thought you'd never talk to me."

Haru hid his shock that Rin had noticed his silence at all behind his annoyance that he didn't answer the question.

He watched Rin get up and stretch, then take a deep breath before he finally started to answer. "I guess I just wanted to see how a normal life looks like." He was hesitating and turned away slightly looking over the even smaller buildings toward the palace that loomed in the distance, "I'm never allowed outside the palace, I can't even visit other nobles. I'm supposed to take responsibility for this kingdom when I'm older, but I'm not allowed to know anything about the people living here."

He took another deep breath and turned back to them "I want to be the best leader I can be, so I want to know how my subjects really live. And I- I just wanted to thank you for helping me."

Haru blinked a bit at this declaration, and looked to the side. Now it was official, he had been unfair to Rin. Not knowing what to say Haru instead nodded, showing that he had understood.

When he looked to Makoto he saw a smile coming back his way, and somehow in this moment he knew that Rin had either already told Makoto all this or Makoto had figured it out himself.

He pushed down the uncomfortable feeling of wondering again when that had happened behind his back.

"We are glad to help, Rin." Makoto said softly, and even Haru had to admit that the day hadn't been so bad, emotional turmoil aside. He even might be convinced to do it again, sometime in the distant future.

"I think I'll have to go back soon. You going to bring me?" Rin asked, and wonder of wonders, he sounded almost shy.

Once again he exchanged looks with Makoto and both of them nodded agreement before escorting Rin back to the palace walls. Once there Haru slipped in with Rin to take the clothes back home the prince was currently discarding.

As Rin shook out his red strands, maroon eyes looked into Haru's and the prince grinned "Thanks again, I really appreciate it!", he said quietly before slipping away in the direction of the palace.

Haru looked after him for a moment before slipping back out.

He didn't let out his sigh of relief until he was almost back in their neighbourhood with Makoto.

"What a stressful day, huh Haru?" Makoto echoed his thoughts perfectly, as usual, so he just inclined his head, indicating that he was listening and agreeing.

"But Rin is really okay.. and visiting Nagisa we saw something new today too." It was fascinating how Makoto's blush was actually audible in his voice.

"It wasn't unbearable", Haru offered flatly, and of course Makoto was stifling a chuckle against his hand at Haru's rudeness. With Rin gone their natural balance seemed to be back, and Haru felt a weight drop from his shoulders.

~

Gou was bundled in her soft blankets, perched on about a thousand perfectly cushy pillows in her queen-sized bed, with it's beautiful colourful canopy. Scented oil was exuding a pleasant smell in the freshly aired room, water and fruit were just within arm reach.

Gou hated every second of it. She hadn't been comfortable for a month straight. First, fever had been wrecking her to the point of delusion, the bizarre dreams still carrying over into regular nightmares.

Then she had had a rash so bad that no amount of healing salves could make lying down a pleasant experience, at a time when she was still too weak to even stand up. And now, after all this was over, the doctors wouldn't let her get up, fearing a relapse.

Every scent the maids placed in her room became overwhelming within hours, no matter how well aired the room was, the air felt stuffy and stale and she was disgustingly sweaty all the time even though she got sponge baths ridiculously often.

She still didn't even really have an appetite and her sore throat made even drinking water a chore.

To make everything worse she had had to lie for her brother, who was amusing himself who-knows-where.

She sighed shifting position the fifth time in ten minutes, but comfort wouldn't come.

When her door opened she lazily opened her eyes, fully prepared to send away another maid offering food.

Instead, hair like hers bounced into the room as Rin threw himself on the bed next to her.

"Gou, I had the most amazing day!" He sounded really happy. As her brother's voice washed over her, telling of his adventures, for the first time in a week she actually felt sleep come easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, comments and Kudos give me life, so if you left something that would be awesome.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of fluff from Makoto's point of view.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Makoto knew that he was a bit of a coward.

He always had been irrationally afraid of a good many things. Spiders and snakes, no matter how harmless; spirits and monsters lurking in the dark, although he knew they were just in his head; even climbing and looking down from a height no matter how safe he was; all of it were long-standing fears of Makoto's.

Yet, every time he felt like he shook too much to take a necessary step, he could steady himself against his best friend.

He could grip Haru's shoulders, even hide behind the smaller frame, until he could gather the courage to stand on his own again.

Sometimes he wondered whether he was unfairly using his raven haired friend.

It was the last thing he ever wanted to do. Funnily enough Haru always seemed to sense when Makoto started feeling that way, and reassurance was quick to follow.

Those were the moments when a delicate hand would grab his and give a calming squeeze, when blue eyes would meet his, outwardly uninterested, but something around the edges of mouth and eyes would tell a tale of caring and worry, when Haru secretly shared his beloved rationed water with Makoto's strays although he wasn't sure about the whole thing being a good idea.

Most specially, when Haru turned away from him after a gesture, embarrassed, blushing but a smile tugging at his always neutral expression. Those were the moments where Makoto knew, that no matter how much of a coward he was, and how annoyed Haru could get with his meddling, Makoto held as special a place in Haru's heart as the other way around.

This didn't change the fact that Makoto couldn't share some things with Haru.

When he was sitting on the edge of the pool, occasionally talking to the other children and sometimes even playing ball with them, swimming with Haru was what he really wanted.

Unfortunately it seemed impossible.

More than once he had considered taking the dive, pretty early on he had even tried to swim a bit too, but for some reason as soon as he lost ground below his feet and water was getting into his face, all he could do was panic and flail. That time they had almost alerted Ama-chan.

Makoto really didn't want a repeat of that, so he had stayed put at the edge ever since, and was sticking to that today too. Most of his time was spent watching Haru swim like a fishman from his mother's good night stories.

He had hardly ever seen Haru that happy and at peace before. The water seemed to embrace him, accept him and carry him willingly and swiftly.

Makoto secretly thought that his rapid progress in learning to swim had to be based on the water liking him so much. In a few short months his best friend had gotten good enough to not only keep up with the prince but stand his ground in fierce competition.

Rin really brought out a side of Haru that even Makoto hadn't known before. He had known that such a side had to exist, but getting used to being shut out of this part of Haru's life, well, it stung.

His and Haru's friendship never had been competitive, but Rin made everything into a matter of win or lose. And Haru hated losing as Makoto was quick to learn.

So when they got Rin out now and again, there was racing while running and score keeping while playing ball. Who could find the cheapest vegetables? Who was better at haggling? (Rin always won that last one.) Even preparing dyes with the permission of his parents had turned into a contest of both speed and quality.

Makoto could see Haru blossom under the influence of their new friend and wondered if he too could experience or inspire such a change.

He must have looked especially wistful to lure Haru away from his mark, but blue eyes and black hair were rapidly moving towards him, so he composed his face in an easy, friendly smile.

Haru emerged just far enough to be able to speak, but didn't, opting instead to drill into Makoto's soul with his eyes. Then looking toward the water, thinking, than looking at Makoto again, a hint of pleading behind sapphires.

Makoto had been served that look before. 'Try again... for me?', it said, much more clearly than Haru could have articulated in words. It warmed Makoto's heart that Haru wanted him in the water too, but he didn't want to take the risk, so he shook his head.

Today Haru seemed to be more persistent than usual and kept staring into his eyes, stubborn expression on his face. It was becoming more difficult to resist by the second, and when Haru actually went so far as to take Makoto's hand and tug it softly it became impossible to say no.

With a sigh Makoto stripped to near nakedness and slowly, carefully slid into the water where he could stand. Haru was looking at him, satisfaction in the corner of his mouth.

Despite his friend's look of confidence Makoto could already feel the insecurity welling up in himself, then Haru extended his hands.

Still, of course Makoto took them, what else would he do? With a deep breath he lifted his feet from the ground, just trying to float for a bit.

Almost at once there was water in his face, he couldn't see, suddenly he couldn't breath and moments later he had planted his feet firmly on the ground again, desperately drawing breath

The disappointment in Haru's eyes almost broke his heart. "I'm sorry.", he panted out.

By now the other children had started paying them attention.

Makoto felt embarrassed and exposed, but Haru's glares soon had the others turn back to their own business. Only Rin and Nagisa swam over to them, eyeing them quizzically.

"What's the problem? Maybe I can help?", Rin offered, and Makoto felt Haru's hands tighten before letting go. He missed the reassurance but turned to Rin trying to smile but feeling himself failing, "I don't like water in my face. It makes me panic."

Rin looked at him thinking. "Maybe you can try floating on your back? I've seen the soldiers do that."

Makoto didn't ask about the soldiers, Rin had started dropping hints about them a few weeks ago like he did about most things in his life outside their mid day meetings.

The idea however was giving Makoto pause, it might be worth a try, but not seeing where he was going might be even worse than getting water into his face.

"Maybe you can try at the edge, or one of the stones!" Nagisa offered, excited.

His eyes met blue ones and he could see his own thoughts reflected there, it seemed like the the best plan they had. So he nodded and waded over to the edge.

Standing with his back to it he took a breath, grabbed behind himself and leaned back, placing his neck on one of the lower stones. Then, with his eyes closed he pushed of the ground.

Floating was really more enjoyable than he had thought it would be.

With his eyes closed he enjoyed the feeling of his body being weightless, although the hardness under his neck and arms was a bit uncomfortable.

This was nice, but it was a far cry from actually swimming with Haru. With that in mind Makoto inched carefully further into the water, tuning out the conversation between his friends. He could do this, to share the water with Haru.

He felt the water lapping at more and more of his arms, his neck, his hair. When it reached his cheeks he felt panic well up again. This was it, this was the moment to be brave. With a last deep breath and a thought of Haru swimming in his mind he let go of the edge, opening his eyes all at once.

The sight that greeted him was endless blue. The sky above him seemed infinite and was only broken by some birds flying across it. For a moment he felt like he himself was flying.

The next he must have made some wrong move, his floating balance was upset and his head was underwater for a second. As fast as possible he put his feet on the ground.

He met Haru's worried gaze after shaking his hair out. His heart was beating a bit faster, he had been a bit afraid, but he hadn't panicked. In fact he felt elated now.

Makoto gave Haru his best smile, reassuring that it was okay.

"I want to try again." he said, and then he did. Again and again under the astonished eyes of his friends. That day, he didn't really learn to swim but he was in the water with Haru until they had to leave.

And when they went home, everything about Haru told him that in his friend's book that was more than good enough.

Makoto was overjoyed with that, after all he had been convinced to go into the water for his best friend.

But now, after knowing the feeling of floating in cool water with the most beautiful sky above, he wanted to go back in for the both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, reviews and Kudos help me sleep better at night sooo, if you could leave something, that would be great.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which both Haru and Makoto find work and not everything goes as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is some more harmless stuff before I open the drama faucet and the rating will go up a bit.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

After more than half a year of sneaking into the palace and getting the royal prince out occasionally, Haru had truly settled into the routine of it. Even Makoto now only occasionally looked like he might jump out of his own skin when they were engaged in the criminal activity and Nagisa still came along whenever he could.

But of course, this comfortable familiarity was not to last. 

It was Haru's eleventh birthday, and sitting down to breakfast he could already sense that his grandmother wanted to talk to him. He didn't like that, she only insisted when it was important and important topics made Haru squeamish.

She cleared her throat and Haru braced himself, looking down,“Remember how you used to want to find work to help out?” At this Haru's ears perked up and he fully looked at his grandmother, nodding. “I think it's time to start you on an apprenticeship. I hate to admit it but I can't sew as fast as I used to, and just mending clothes isn't going to bring in enough for much longer. We still have the inheritance, but I actually think a steady income of your own would be better.”

Haru nodded again, agreeing. It was time that she let him help. But... what apprenticeship? The idea of working with total strangers was more than a little intimidating. 

He was mulling it over in his head. What could he do? What he loved most was the water. But there was no work to be had involving water, not for him anyway. 

What else did he like?

Makoto. 

Makoto's parents. 

Their fabrics. 

He turned to his grandmother, opening his mouth, hopeful to make the suggestion. But seeing her broad smile, he realized that she was miles ahead of him.

“It was actually the idea of Makoto's mother you know? She said that they absolutely could use more than one apprentice, and with Makoto being the other one, well, you should get along. She also said that you are quite good with the dyes, and I think the work will suit you.”

Of course those two had already cooked up this whole thing between themselves. 

Normally it would have annoyed Haru to have such a decision made without his input. But right now he was just glad that he neither would have to deal with total strangers, nor do something that he had no interest in at all.

To top it all off he could work with Makoto. The only thing that diminished his happiness was the realization that his work hours most likely would cut into his swimming time. 

They would have to tell Rin about it. Maybe they could even arrange other times.

~

This was not going how it was supposed to. 

He was supposed to learn his parents' craft and work together with Haru in his family tradition.

He was not supposed to screw every last thing up that found its way into his hands. 

Yet here Makoto was. His dyes were horrible, his fabrics were uneven and littered with holes and tight spots and to produce even that much, he had to invest way too much time.

For the first time in his life Makoto was completely, truly and absolutely envious of Haru.

Haru's linen were perfect, even and tight and the colours and combinations were brilliant even though he was just starting out and was not yet doing anything complex. 

Haru's hand were magical and his, his were far below average. 

His parents kept telling him that it wasn't so bad, that he could learn, and that some people took longer than others. 

Haru had even taken to not showing Makoto his own, perfect work, presumably to keep Makoto's frustrations at bay.

Makoto did his best to suppress the negativity and shame that was worming itself further and further into his consciousness. He tried to hide it all under a smile but this time around he knew that he wasn't doing a good job.

After Haru's start into his apprenticeship Makoto too had started to devote serious time to learning his parents' craft. Until his own birthday he had learned together with Haru, and failed to produce anything that was even slightly attractive. After that he had doubled down, spending more and more time outside of work hours learning the craft. 

Soon he was skipping out on swimming so often that one day when Haru had actually dragged him out they had to go home without their swim, because Makoto just wouldn't fit through their little entrance any more. 

On the way home he watched Haru, and the unhappy impression wasn't lost on him.

It was around that time that Makoto realized the following:

He had two left hands, at least for this, and he would not, for the foreseeable future, be good at it.

He would not work together with Haru, and that stung. 

He also wouldn't be able to continue the family tradition and that felt like he was betraying his parents.

His life path, the one he always had envisioned, wasn't going to be his life path and that was frightening. 

He had to get past this, and find something he could be good at. And that was terrifying.

When he told Haru, he could see the unhappiness in his best friends eyes, and it made him deeply sorry that his incompetence was interfering with Haru's wishes. But even Haru, who all this time had done his best to quietly support Makoto, and encourage him to try to learn, now seemed resigned to the fact that this was pointless effort.

When he told his parents, they were understanding. He still cried, and apologized more than once for causing them such shame, but they just hugged him and assured him that there were other things he could learn, even other ways he could help their business.

The next few nights he spent lying awake pondering what else he could do, but all his options just blurred into an overwhelming mass and he didn't even know where to start any more.

The decision on where to start was made by his father when one day he brought him to the entertainment district.

On the way his father explained that he had talked to a cloth merchant who was looking for an apprentice, and if Makoto made a good impression he might be the one. 

The idea was a bit intimidating. Makoto wasn't particularly good at doing his sums and he knew that merchants needed to be at least somewhat good at that. 

But being able to sell his family's fabrics, he could be helpful that way, couldn't he? Maybe he could even have his own shop together with Haru in the future.

As his father pointed out the merchant from a distance Makoto braced himself, swallowed his fear of the unknown. He remembered Haru's encouraging nod from that morning, and as they approached and the merchant took note of them he gave his very best, most friendly smile and introduced himself with as much confidence as he could muster.

He started work the next week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. If so, you know the drill. Comments are life, Kudos are love, I gladly take both.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we take a look at Rin's day, Ai makes his entrance and Nagisa has a crisis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit longer again, I don't quite know if I'm happy with it but I do hope you enjoy.
> 
> Also: Reader, meet my pathetic attempt at Drama.

Rin was really getting frustrated. 

Not with the teacher in front of him, or with the material he was currently learning about (The political History of Iwatobi, Sano and Samezuka). 

Those were interesting, and Rin took learning about his duty extremely seriously. For that reason he took pains to crush any signs of waning enthusiasm under his stellar work ethic (if he was allowed to call it such himself). 

Doing that had really become easier since he got out sometimes. Now he knew much better who he was going to serve in the future. He had played ball with boys who would become merchants and soldiers. He had carried the bags of old ladies with their sweet smiles and bent backs. He had listened in on countless conversations about everyday life and hardships of the common people.

He had even gotten to see in what kind of place his nanny was buried, even though it was impossible to find the specific grave.

So, no, nothing about lessons and learning more about his home could ever frustrate him.

The problem were his friends. Rapidly it was becoming harder and harder to meet up with them. 

Haru was working and so was Makoto. He knew from Nagisa that they were not working together as they had planned, but even Nagisa didn't know enough to let Rin in on all of the drama. 

Rin just knew that Haru, even though he had to come later and leave earlier now, was still perfectly punctual in accordance with the new times, so was Nagisa, ever living in fear of being left behind. 

But Makoto, Makoto had stopped coming entirely. Rin wondered if that had something to do with the tension in Haru's shoulders, but every time he had tried to talk to Haru the other boy had brushed him aside, blocked his arm when he'd gone in for a more physical approach, and hidden in the water.

Normally they had it out with a good swim after that. Haru had overtaken him in skill. Rin could respect that, it irked him deeply but he could respect it. 

Having a conversation with Haru, on the other hand, was a skill Rin had not yet mastered. He had watched Makoto do it countless times, to no avail. There were never many words between them, yet worlds of understanding. Rin wondered what it was like to be that close to someone, sometimes.

But there wasn't anyone like that for him, at least not any more, so Rin was stuck, for better or for worse with those less romantic, less fateful bonds. He liked most of the servant children he was allowed to play with well enough, but they were always much too aware of his station. Most didn't look him in the eye and obeyed his every command. 

That had been practical when he had started sneaking the other boys in. Even he was surprised that everyone had kept mum well enough to keep this secret for more than two years now. Maybe they just didn't care enough about the intruders, at least that was what Rin hoped, since even after all this time a change of heart in even one of them could mean disaster. 

He tried to push that idea to the side, as he had done when the rash decision was originally made. At the rate his time with his friends was diminishing it might not even matter for much longer. 

And if that wasn't a thought that hurt.

At the end of the he luckily knew enough about the subject that he could answer most of his instructors question although he had spaced out for most of the lecture.

The next lesson he had was combat. He had been allowed to watch soldier training recently, and thought it was the most fascinating thing. 

The rapid movements, the clatter of practice short swords, the splinter of spears on shields, it was exciting every time. He was even allowed to learn some techniques for ceremonial purposes. 

He was usually training with the son of general Mikoshiba, who was just a bit older than him and had red hair too, althoug it was very different from his own.

Rin didn't get to see Seijuro often between his lessons and Seijuro's own commitments, but he really enjoyed the boisterous laugh and attitude of the older boy.

Sometimes his tutor even took mercy on him and let him stay with the soldiers longer than the regent thought was 'appropriate'. 

After Rin had got to known the vocabulary common among soldiers, he could sort of see where the regent was coming from. 

However although their colourful language sometimes made him blush, it was actually interesting watching the men in their free time. Their barracks even had their own pool, much larger than the one he played in with the others, but not quite as large as the one at the back of the palace, where the adults relaxed and festivities were celebrated.

There actually was quite a bit of water here still, although conversations he had listened in on suggested that the drought was getting to some of the richer parts of the city as well. He sometimes felt guilty looking at the pools. They made him think of uninterested, yet stubborn blue eyes.

Today he didn't get leniency on spending more time with his friend, and just enough time to clean himself before he had to attend his daily class on manners. 

That was probably the lesson he liked the least. 

He was always poked and prodded to improve his posture, as was his sister. No matter how he spoke it never seemed quite polite enough, there always seemed to be one more rule that he hadn't understood, or remembered or been informed of yet.

“Stand upright, but not stiff. Command attention, but don't seem desperate. Be generous, but not wasteful. Be friendly, but not weak.” was one of his instructors mantras. 

It sounded very pretty and useful, but to Rin it was to vague to even start to act on. He always seemed to be “too this” or “too that” when he tried. “Too much smile.” was something he had heard enough to last him a lifetime. 

Today it seemed even worse than usual. Probably because a diplomat was coming to visit soon and he and Gou would have to attend all sorts of ceremonies and dinners. 

Gou had always been better at this than him. Maybe that was just a girl thing, being able to adapt to social needs so quickly.

After that was finally over, there was dinner, after which he went back to his studies. 

Lessons were actually pretty easy when you were as far ahead on your reading as Rin was and when the subject was so close to your heart.

The last thing he did before sleep was, as always, to write his letter about the day.

~

Breathe in, Breathe out. Slowly, calmly. Do not freak out.

Aiichiro needed to calm himself down, at once. They were just other kids, no one was going to bite him. 

He couldn't hide in the kitchens with his mother forever. And the other servant children seemed to have so much fun during the mid day break the prince had arranged for them.

Still he was shaking like a leaf when he watched the kitchen girl who was quite a bit younger than him and her two brothers get together to go out.

Today was the day he was going to pull himself together and ask if he could come with. 

Shaking he took the first step out of the shadows and towards them, mind racing with all the options of what he could say. 

He seemed to have been noticed, first one than three pairs of eyes were turned towards him and he froze. For a moment there was embarrassing silence, and he really should just talk already!

“Well, do you wanna come or not?” the girl asked impatiently, and Ai nodded quickly and silently, embarrassed but relieved.

Minutes later they joined up with the other children and the caretaker but seemed to still be waiting for someone.

That someone came running down the hall soon and Ai was shaken to the core by the sight of royal red hair. He hadn't known that the prince would actually be with them.

Their royal companion led the way to the outside and Ai looked in awe at the beautiful green garden. 

Although he had lived in the palace for some months now he had never dared to go outside the servant quarters other than to get to the pantry or the kitchen, and that, he had only dared for work.

The other children didn't seem to have any reservations however and started playing right away.

Like usual no-one was paying any attention to him and he felt a bit lost just standing there. 

Well almost no one was paying attention. Red hair was coming his way and he felt his body fold in on himself. 

“Hey, I don't know your face do I?” he was actually being addressed by royalty, but he dared not lift his head and instead nodded. 

He heard a sigh and for a moment was afraid that he would be send away. 

“Listen, I need to talk to you, so come with me.” Ai didn't understand what the prince would want to talk about with him, but still followed to the far side of the pool were they were out of earshot of the others. 

“Do me a favour, look at me when I'm talking to you.” Ai looked up, surprised and flustered, but the prince only continued after their eyes locked. 

His eyes were the most intriguing shade of red, and they were narrowed earnestly. For some reason Aiichiro felt his heart pound.

“So, I guess it's best to give it to you straight.” was the insecurity in the prince's voice? “I have friends from outside that I sneak in here on the regular. So if you could keep your mouth shut about that, that would be great.”

Ai grappled with understanding the 'why' for a second, before deciding that he could think about that later and nodded again.

The prince frowned at him “I'd prefer if you'd talk to me.” 

Flustered yet again Ai searched his voice and after a moment heard himself squeak out a “Yes.”

It was all so very embarrassing, but the prince seemed content enough with the answer. Yet, he didn't join the other children, instead he asked Ai whether he wanted to play in the water.

Ai couldn't help but take the offer, and although he hardly dared to look at his better, it was really fun. It became even more fun when the aforementioned friends arrived. 

One of them was a serious looking black haired boy who swam like a fish, the other a bubbly blonde around his age, that shamelessly jumped into the water naked. 

The blonde introduced himself as Nagisa and Ai soon felt like he had been claimed because the blonde spent the rest of the day including him in games with the others or thinking up things they could play at in the water. 

The other boy was very energetic and didn't have a concept of personal space, it was frankly a bit intimidating, but it also gave Ai a feeling that he was welcome with his peers for once.

From that day on Ai performed his kitchen duties with the pool always hovering at the back of his mind. When he prepared lettuce or cabbage, got peas out of their pods or brought a basket of figs into the kitchen, what he thought about was meeting the others, learn about them and maybe become real friends.

After a while the only one he didn't talk to at least sometimes was the blue eyed, intimidating Haru. But even there he noticed something over time. When the prince wasn't looking Haru would often stare at his back, as if contemplating something, or willing the other boy to do something very specific. Without fail, when the prince turned around, blue eyes were already averted. 

It took him a while but he pulled together enough courage to ask Nagisa if he knew what was up with that. 

The other boy apparently hadn't noticed, but after they had observed Haru together for a while, the blonde too was convinced that something was wrong.

He was also convinced that something had to be done. 

But with Haru they were getting nowhere. Ai had tried to talk to him, but the cold stare he got in return made him freeze to the spot and he wasn't keen on a repeat. 

Nagisa had tried ambush, flattery, begging and bribery to get Haru to talk about it, and sometimes Haru looked like he wanted to let the blonde in on the secret. Yet, he would always decide against for whatever reason, and submerge himself in the water before swimming away.

After another failed attempt at getting the secret ( Nagisa had hung on to one of Haru's legs for at least an hour) the blonde huffed and promised Ai to find out, even if he had to use dirty tricks.

Ai found that a bit weird, because he didn't actually care that much and was just going along with Nagisa because it was kind of fun. 

The next day Nagisa came to him, triumph in his bouncing step and shining eyes. Apparently someone called 'Makoto', was both the source of the problem and Nagisa's dirty trick. 

It seemed that this 'Makoto' was Haru's best friend and had come here before but couldn't now and Haru probably wanted to find a way to get him in but didn't talk to the prince because “he's reaaally bad with words, you know.”

It would be easy then, Ai figured. “We could talk to him, or you could.” Ai offered, voice growing more quiet as he spoke. He wouldn't dare ask anything of the prince. 

But Nagisa seemed to have other plans and judging by the thoughtful look he was given Ai had the unfortunate feeling that he would feature prominently in what was going to happen.

Ten days later he found himself sneaking through an unused corn chamber and questioning his life choices. He remembered distinctly saying that he didn't want to do this, that it was too dangerous, that they would be caught for sure. 

And yet here he was walking to a servants entrance that was mostly used in the early mornings when the vegetables that were not first or second choice were given to merchants to sell on the market. 

It had taken Ai almost a week to figure out which corridor belonged to that door. Right now it was mercifully empty and Ai quickly sneaked to the door. When he heard a familiar voice outside he carefully unlatched the door and opened it.

Next he heard a shocked gasp and hiss of “Nagisa!”, a sentiment with which he could only agree. Moments later said blonde had dragged a gangly boy with brown hair and panicking green eyes inside and Ai closed the door behind him. 

The older boy looked as if in a deep state of shock, but Ai figured that they really didn't have time for that. “We should go back quickly.” 

Suppressing his own fear he led the way through the empty corridors then the corn chamber then the small corridor that led outside, now they just had to get past Ama-chan, who thankfully was playing her flute and not paying attention when he peeked around the corner and waved the other boys out rapidly. 

Makoto apparently had overcome his shock enough to get to the pool with impressive speed and Nagisa was hard on his heels. Ai himself followed a bit more slowly and watched the reunion in awe. 

The normally so aloof Haru looked actually happy, eyes visibly softer than usual and Makoto's smile seemed to aim at eclipsing the sun itself. Nagisa was looking from one to the other like the excited child that he was, happy with his surprise. 

Even the prince, although he looked surprised seemed pleased if his grin was anything to judge by.

Ai just stood there, basking in the glow of everyone. 

When Nagisa jumped at him with a big hug he still found that a bit much, but in a way he enjoyed it.

The thanks he got from everyone seemed worth the frankly insane risk he had taken to help Makoto find a new way in. 

Even the stoic Haru had looked at him, then away and mumbled a “thank you”. If Ai wasn't completely mistaken he had even blushed. 

After everything had calmed down Ai looked to Nagisa, who was usually the one he played most with.

This time instead of a bubbly smile he was greeted with worry and sadness etched into every corner of that young face. 

But just as fast as it had appeared the dark expression was gone, Nagisa grabbed his arm and pulled him into the water. 

~

Nagisa had gotten used to the fights. In the early morning hours, when even the last patron was gone, it had become not uncommon that his mother and the mistress would have heated arguments. 

Normally he wouldn't care and sleep through the conflict the same way everybody else did. 

Normally the conversation wasn't about him. 

But for a while it had been, and he couldn't help but sneak out of the room he shared with his sisters into the upper stairway, where he could hear his mother and the mistress argue.

“He's only 10 years old, I don't want him in front of drunk patrons this early!” his mother hissed. She had been adamant with his sisters too, and neither of the three had seen an audience before they reached age 15. 

“But he is pretty good, and you know yourself there is an audience for young dancing boys, more so than for girls that age and your son is nearing the end of that age range. It would be pretty profitable and I advise you to use it as long as it's still possible. 

“Other boys his age take on apprenticeships, or at least do menial labour that is far more back breaking. No one is going to touch him, like no one is touching your girls.” 

Nagisa knew for a fact that that wasn't completely true. His oldest sister at least had been seeing multiple patrons in the private rooms on the floor below. If she was into them or into the money and what exactly happened in there, Nagisa couldn't say.

It was true that there were few problems in this house and that the mistress was cracking down pretty hard on patrons who overstepped their bounds and became abusive, in word or deed. 

The guards who usually were unseen behind curtains and hidden doors were mostly sons and nephews of dancing girls that used to work here in their youth, and they were pretty loyal and pretty unforgiving towards transgressors.

Consequently the girls that made extra money in the private rooms were doing so on their own time, of their own volition and in peace. That money was theirs to keep and Nagisa wondered sometimes how much money that was to convince his sister to go into that room with a middle aged man.

Regardless of those safety measures, Nagisa knew that serious problems existed elsewhere and he wasn't sure that he wanted to end up in front of an “audience for young dancing boys.” He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about that sounded sinister, and his mother's displeasure was palpable enough to put him off the idea, although he loved dancing and an audience didn't frighten him in principle.

He listened to the same arguments going back and forth for a while, before his mother declared the discussion over. For the moment the mistress didn't press further.

As Nagisa hurried back into his room and under his blanket he wondered how long he could escape the mistress' demands.

It turned out that her mercy extended for a little more than a year, before his mother was threatened with eviction of their family

When his mother sat him and his sisters down to talk about the issue he didn't understand everything. He didn't get why they couldn't find another place to live, or why he couldn't work somewhere else. The broad message he took away from it was 'Mistress won't allow it.' 

His mother and sisters all were torn between indignation and worry about him, and he could sense quite a bit of guilt in his mother as well. 

He cried during that conversation, he cried after it and he cried through the night. His mother held him for all of it.

The next day he avoided practice to meet his friends. 

Nagisa had tried to rub the puffiness from his eyes but it hadn't worked. It didn't really matter though, because he needed to talk to someone about this anyway so hiding his misery was not high on his list of priorities.

Makoto would be the best choice to get some comfort Nagisa figured, which was convenient, because he had taken to visit Makoto in the mornings, since his green eyed friend had started working in the entertainment district.

When he got there Makoto was talking to a customer, all easy smiles and friendly voice. Nagisa thought the work suited Makoto. He probably could get a mouse to buy a cat, just to do him a favour not that Makoto would ever abuse his powers like that. 

He rubbed his eyes again as the customer now talked to Makoto's boss, and when Makoto saw him he of course knew at once that something was wrong. 

Nagisa felt shy as he walked over to him and felt the worry radiate off Makoto in waves. Seeing the brotherly concern in his eyes Nagisa almost started to cry again. 

Makoto put his hands encouragingly on his shoulders and promised that they would talk soon. Nagisa blinked through the tears that were welling up, and of course, Makoto still had work. He couldn't just come here and demand instant attention.

He resigned himself to a place in a niche between two houses and just sat down in the dust, waiting and trying not to think too much.

It seemed to take forever until Makoto was next to him and helped him to his feet. On their way to the palace Nagisa didn't really volunteer much, but felt Makoto's worried gaze on him the whole time. He didn't feel like relating the story more than once.

They met Haru at the new entrance and he too noticed that something was not right after exchanging a look with Makoto, as was visible in the narrowing of his eyes. 

Nagisa blamed telepathy. 

As they waited for Ai the silence became more and more depressing. But to their luck the small servant was rather punctual and let them in. 

They met Rin in the corn chamber, and this was probably the best time to explain himself. 

But when he tried to talk, he exploded into tears and sobs instead and collapsed onto the floor, causing open panic in Rin, Makoto and Ai who he could see through the veil of his tears, as they swarmed him and tried to calm him down. 

This was embarrassing, he wanted to pull himself together, but he just couldn't stop crying. After a while he felt calmer, steadier hands on his shoulders, and the difference to the frantic and fussing touches before actually helped him to calm down for a second. 

He was looking into deep blue, filled with subdued worry, but holding his gaze and his shoulders until he was only sniffling occasionally.

“Can you talk now?” Haru asked, much softer than usual. 

Nagisa nodded slowly and looked around before bursting out quickly with his story, how he was scared, how he didn't understand why this was happening, what was happening.

He could see the others lost for words too. Makoto and Ai just looked worried, Haru seemed uncomfortable and Rin was blushing furiously but with something in his eyes, understanding, maybe? 

The silence was deafening and Nagisa felt the tears welling up again, when Haru sat down next to him. “That won't help, you know?” He heard Makoto hiss Haru's name, but this time Haru wouldn't be called back. “I... I don't really understand much of what you said, but crying won't help you.” 

Nagisa knew that, really, he did know. But what else could he do? He couldn't stop it, could he? He could run away, but where to? It was hopeless. He wanted to cry again but felt Haru grab his hand, so he pulled himself together for another moment, to listen once more.

“You like the dancing right? Maybe concentrate on that?” Haru offered, blue eyes insecure. 

Nagisa actually had to laugh through a sob, that was very Haru. 

Haru was silent now, looking a bit helpless.

By now Makoto had settled down on his other side and put a long arm around his shoulder. “Otherwise your family will be in trouble right? You can think of them, right?” 

That idea struck Nagisa. He could do that, like Makoto did all the time when he spent his free time helping out with the twins and lugging materials around for his parents.

“If something bad happens, tell me and I'll find a way to help out! ” Rin had proudly stemmed his hands into his hips, looking determined. Ai stood behind him eagerly agreeing, “Right, he can help!”

At least Nagisa had royalty on his side in case of a catastrophe, which was actually almost hysterical. 

Suddenly there was no holding back the laughter bubbling out of his mouth.

He wasn't quite relieved of his worry, but here were his friends, willing to support him. 

At home there was his family who had fought to the last so he wouldn't be burdened with this. It wasn't really fair of him to sit here, crying his life and his friends' time away. 

For the first time since the news were broken to him he felt like he had some say in how this would play out. 

He couldn't stop it.

He couldn't run away.

He couldn't change what was going to happen.

What he could do was enjoy the good, avoid the bad and lean on his loved ones and in turn be leaned on himself.

The next evening he danced the first time for a crowd of customers. He almost threw up from nerves before and as he walked up on stage he took a deep breath and then tuned out some of the more uncomfortable looks, before starting. 

It was actually over quickly, there was applause in the full room where customers were drinking wine and smoking hookahs, while dancers were weaving around them with drinks and flirtatious gazes and gestures. 

Not all of the attention felt welcome, but when he got down from the stage, back in the arms of his mother and sisters who ushered him away into the back room, he didn't feel so bad. 

He went to bed soon after, exhausted and exhilarated, still not quite comfortable with his new role but at the same time feeling like he could actually settle into it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to lay some things out here:
> 
> Nagisa doesn't technically live in a brothel, the use of the "private rooms" for prositution is an option, not an obligation. 
> 
> Dancing boys actually exist in the middle east and parts of Asia, and Nagisa's mother has every reason to be opposed to it, because irl it's just a fancy term for young male sex slave.
> 
> In this AU child prostitutes actually exists too because by law children are the "property" of their parents and orphans sometimes support themselves that way. Nagisa doesn't know about those things in detail, but living where he lives he has picked up that it's not a position you would want to be in. 
> 
> What parents are allowed to do to their kids is not limitless, but a ban on prostituion would be difficult to enforce due to the private nature of the thing itself, particularly because the guards, the policeforce as it were, are mainly there to ensure order in public and only investigate crimes like murder, robbery or forcible rape, under which prostitution which the parents consent to, wouldn't fall.
> 
> With all of that out of the way, there will be no graphic descriptions of child abuse sexual or otherwise, in fact there won't even be sex before my little flock has at the very least gone through puberty, although sex before the age of 18 is still in the cards.
> 
> Nagisa's mother cares deeply, and even the mistress, bitch that I wrote her as, is only after the quick buck she can get out of staring patrons, and has no interest in actually violating Nagisa. Additionally, in my AU there actually is an aesthetic cultural aspect to dancing boys that would draw a crowd that is not just undesirables, although weeding those out would be impossible.
> 
> SO, with all that said, I hope you enjoyed and that if you did I get myself some Kudos and comments. If you have abuse to hurl at me, I ask that you don't and instead be civil in your criticism.
> 
> Otherwise, I wish every one a great Sunday!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which both Haru and Makoto are confronted with puberty.
> 
> Also Kisumi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, a punctual update. 
> 
> Whatever the quality of this story is (and it's probably mediocre seeing as I haven't written in ages) at least I managed again to stick to my update schedule which is every other day.
> 
> For a quitter like me that's actually awesome, so yay! 
> 
> ANYWAY, I wanted to thank everyone who was so kind to leave me Kudos and especially everyone who took the time and effort to comment. I'm going through a rough patch right now, so every bit of positive feedback and encouragement means a lot and I really appreciate it. 
> 
> With that out of the way: I hope you enjoy this one.

A few times in the past, Haru had known the feeling of jealousy. 

When Makoto and Rin seemed to get along a little too well, or when Nagisa was hanging of his best friend like a monkey, came to mind. It had been unpleasant every time, even after Haru had realized what the feeling meant, and how pathetic feeling it was.

Shamefully enough he had even held a grudge against the twins for a while. At some point they had started to claim every last second Makoto was at home for themselves. This left Haru no other choice than to accept his best friend as a package deal, apologetic smiles and children shrieking included.

He should have known his own weaknesses well enough to realize that what at the beginning had been him putting up with an inconvenience swiftly transformed into affection for the little Tachibanas. It had come to a point where he felt not like an intruder, but a second brother, much to Makoto's delight. How he had ever thought it would be another way, he didn't know any more.

So Haru actually had experience with the uncomfortable tightening in his chest and the urge to drag Makoto someplace they could be alone together in peace.

But this, this was different. This was cruel and malicious.

The source of his displeasure was his age, pink-haired, worked somewhere on this godforsaken market, and was obviously seeking his best friends company at every opportunity. And like most people Haru knew, he couldn't be content with just talking, he had to touch.

That of course wasn't the cruel and malicious part, Nagisa and Rin did it too and they just didn't have enough shame. The part that made Haru's eyes narrow and his fists clench was the sneaky looks he was given. 

Kisumi, as the object of his annoyance was called, would throw his arm around Makoto when he accompanied him home after work and then throw Haru a glance, as if checking for a reaction.

Pink eyes would lock with his when Kisumi shared his sweet apricots with Makoto, before offering Haru some too, impish glee still in those pale orbs.

When Haru came to visit Makoto during the day if his work allowed, the pink menace was already there, leaning on the counter and grinning challengingly at him as soon as he came into sight.

Haru just didn't understand why this boy felt the need to permanently observe him this way, worse he only did that when Makoto was around. When he was just pestering Haru on his own he was actually being friendly, sweet even, though his understanding of personal space left even more to be desired than Nagisa's.

The younger boy would just jump you in a fit of emotion with his thoughts mostly turned off, but with Kisumi everything seemed deliberate, every glance seemed to have a purpose and every touch seemed to communicate something.

What exactly that was, Haru couldn't say and didn't want to know. He might have a better idea if he would listen to Kisumi, but since the pink haired boy was talking or laughing almost all the time, filtering anything of meaning out of the endless stream of words was not usually worth the bother.

Yet, Makoto seemed to like listening to this chatterbox, smiling and laughing along and visibly enjoying himself. Haru hated how that brought up this stupid useless feeling. He hated how it made him feel like Makoto was changing without him.

The worst of it was that the fear of losing his best friend had wormed into his sleeping hours. He couldn't remember his dreams in the morning, but somehow he knew, he knew that Makoto had been taken away or left him in them.

As if all of that wasn't bothersome enough the nights not spent experiencing the loss of his best friend, left him with completely different feelings, and stained blankets in the morning. What exactly he dreamed about those nights he couldn't say and didn't want to think about. 

Unfortunately Makoto's father had noticed that he wasn't as alert at work and through some kind of devilry knew that he wasn't sleeping well and horrifyingly enough he also seemed to know why.

The talk Mr. Tachibana bestowed on Haru then was the most uncomfortable thing he ever had to suffer through. Thanks to his extraordinary ability of tuning out what he didn't want to hear, something about “urges” and “hair in weird places” were the only snippets he retained.

The only positive about that traumatizing experience was that he now knew that whatever was happening was some degree of normal. That realization didn't make the problem go away, but it helped with accepting it. 

The thought came unbidden into his head, if Makoto had had that talk too. And if that was the case, was it for the same reason?

~

Makoto had in fact had the talk. 

After one too many dirty blankets he had tried to wash in secret to hide his shame his father had sat him down, smiling as if what was to follow was a pleasant chat about the weather. What actually had transpired after that was a mercilessly detailed explanation of what exactly becoming an adult entailed. 

Body hair and awkward erections featured prominently. The feeling of liking girls and wanting to be with them, as well as all manner of implications was discussed in depth, including where babies come from.

At the other end of it Makoto felt scarred for life, yet weirdly calm. Embarrassing as it had been, it had helped a lot to get over his shame, even though he swore to himself never to talk to a soul about any of it.

Not that there was much to talk about, the attraction to girls his father had prophesized didn't really seem to settle in. Sure he noticed if a girl was pretty, some even made him blush or look twice when they walked past, but there was never more than just the slightest bit of excitement, nothing like the longing his father had described.

His dreams too were inconclusive. He was sure dancers featured in them sometimes (thanks Nagisa) and he definitely knew that there always was a lot of blue, the shade of which he was very familiar with. He tried to not let his thoughts stray too much in that direction, lest they lead him to disaster.

In any case his busy life didn't offer too much opportunity to think these things through.   
In the mornings he helped with the house and the twins, before he was off to work. 

There he concentrated fully on doing right by the customers and his boss. He had found himself actually decent at selling, and didn't want to jeopardize his future by being inattentive.

In the lulls between customers Kisumi, a boy from a pottery shop across the road, often came over to him, and they would keep company as long as their bosses would allow. 

Kisumi was really nice, always smiling, always talking, always joking. Makoto had noticed a slight mischievous streak in the other boy, which he found rather endearing, although he noticed that Haru often was less than pleased with Kisumi's liberal approach to physical contact and outrageous speech. 

Haru would often come by before noon so they could go swim together (although finding excuses to not take Kisumi with them was becoming increasingly difficult) and Nagisa was still sometimes joining although he too seemed to be more and more busy with his own training since he started doing shows, a thought Makoto felt deeply conflicted over, now that he had those weird dreams.

Like Nagisa's presence their swimming time was greatly diminished through circumstances. Rin increasingly had to tell them that on certain days he couldn't come and so neither could they. Makoto often saw Haru struggle between his desire to swim and the sane part of him realizing that without Rin there to shoulder some of the responsibility if things went wrong the risk was impossible to take.

Their new entrance had turned out safe until now, but Makoto already felt like he was sticking out like a sore thumb between the other children because he kept growing. Soon they would be too old for the games that had been their smokescreen until now, and what desperate measures Haru might take then, Makoto didn't want to find out.

But for now they still frequently spent their mid day leisure time there, after which they both returned to work, where Kisumi would often wait for him when there wasn't much to do in either shop.

After work the other boy occasionally accompanied Makoto home and sometimes even entertained the twins with him and Haru. The last time he had proudly told them that he was going to be a big brother soon, news that made Makoto really happy. Kisumi would be great at that for sure. 

The pink-haired boy never stayed for long however and so Makoto's evenings usually belonged to his little brother and sister, and seeing as Haru more often than not supported him, his best friend was included into that time.

Luckily the twins and Haru got along well and with time Makoto saw affection grow on both sides until Haru was as much a fixture to the little ones as he himself was. Haru had always been a part of his life, and seeing that his siblings were embracing that fact and Haru embracing right back warmed his heart every time.

Now if he could just get through this weird phase his father had told him about, his life, though busy and sometimes hectic could be perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fucking LOVE Kisumi, OKAY.
> 
> I needed more, I think Kisumi is half the reason I started writing again because I neeeeed more.
> 
> ahem. Hope you enjoyed, and if you want to make the life of some poor newbie writer a lot better you can do so by giving Kudos and especially by commenting. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and will read again. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rin deals with a diplomatic meeting and Nagisa investigates sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, 
> 
> I managed on time again, so here you go with another chapter. 
> 
> I'm trying to drip in drama bit by bit, but I've never done something like this, sooo if you could be merciful yet constuctively critical, that would be perfect.
> 
> The rating will probably go up again pretty soon.
> 
> With that, onward! 
> 
> Enjoy.

By now Rin should have grown used to the uncomfortable feeling of sinking into his throne, disappearing in the lavish pillows. Still, even after years and years of taking his place at the end of the hall for ceremonies he still felt like an ant, way to small and unimportant to have any effect on anything.

Of course he actually was for now. So long as he wasn't 18 years of age the regent his father had appointed was in charge of ruling the kingdom, and as long as that was true Rin was nothing but a figurehead. 

He didn't enjoy being trotted out like a trained monkey for these events were he was expected to smile and bow his head and open meals with his voice that often wouldn't carry through the whole room. 

What he did enjoy was listening to the regent and the diplomats and sometimes even foreign royalty about politics. Because he was just a child they often ignored him, allowing for him to observe and listen closely. 

Now, it was typical that wine and fermented milk would flow freely on these occasions to wash down the rich and plentiful food.

On this particular event their generosity was proving rather fruitful as one of the diplomats from Samezuka had had too much to drink and even though his companion tried to reign him in and limit the damage, talk off an army being raised at home and disdain for Iwatobi came through again and again.

Rin wasn't surprised, relations to Samezuka had been strained for generations and the drought was weakening Iwatobi to a point were those that had set their eyes on conquering his kingdom of course would watch very closely. 

It was all very unfortunate, particularly because Samezuka, which had been built close to a large river would be a valuable ally to the Oasis-town of Iwatobi when the drought continued on.

The regent dutifully pretended that he didn't understand the gravity of what was being said, but Rin had heard from Seijuro that their army was activating resources as well. This new development probably meant more recruitment of soldiers. He just hoped it would be possible to limit the recruitment to volunteers if it actually came to fighting.

Soon the talkative diplomat was excused and accompanied out of the room by his companion and only the representative of their ally Sano remained. He and the regent exchanged some quiet words that Rin couldn't quite make out and then both drank some more. 

When Samezuka's more sober representative reappeared there was even more talking and drinking done although now there were only harmless words, with just the tone betraying the underlying hostilities. 

But even those were forgotten when the regent clapped his hands and summoned the dancers. 

Half a dozen young women and two young men elegantly poured into the room, shawls and airy pants fluttering with their movements.

The sight truly was a fascinating one, and like had been the case for a while Rin felt excitement rise in his chest, spread throughout his body and settle in his groin.

It was incredible to him that it had already been years since he had innocently watched the dancers, run around between their legs, attempting to copy them.

The allure that back then had mostly been in the fun, now very much was in the visual. The graceful movements, the undulating bodies, muscles working together perfectly to the beat of drums, were making his mouth water in a way that made him feel filthy.

This animal attraction was so unromantic. Every time he felt it guilt was plaguing him, especially when he thought about sweet, silly Nagisa, who apparently could turn a dancer's allure on and off at will, even though he was still very much a child and had probably little idea of adult urges. 

His distaste was not helped by one diplomat after the other being led away to their rooms. One accepted the offer of a young buxom, red headed woman, while the other propositioned a curly haired man with the nicest grey eyes Rin had ever seen. 

When they were gone he braced himself for the usual: The regent was offering him a pick of the dancers too. 

Excited or not, he refused to have such meaningful intimacy start this way. His first partner would neither be paid nor strong-armed into the occasion, he had decided the day the first whore had been send into his room by the regent or some well meaning servant. 

She had been beautiful and just two years older than him, her long legs had sprawled elegantly on his bed in the long transparent pants as she had draped herself on it gracefully. She had actually been very kind when she explained sex to him, she didn't even laugh at his blush, and when he respectfully declined she wasn't angry or annoyed, she had just given him his first sweet kiss and left. Afterwards he felt like he may have wanted her after all.

But his resolve remained and he send away every single hired company that found their way into his room. To date that count included at least six concubines, four dancing girls from the city and two artists from a wandering acrobatic show, one a very pretty petite brunette with pale blue eyes, the other a black haired young man with lean muscles. Both had proven their extreme flexibility to him and especially the black haired acrobat with his boyish smile had been very difficult to turn down, which was how Rin knew that he “swung both ways” as Seijuro called it.

Today he was adamant too, and once again declined the offer before retreating to his room. The look the regent gave him was annoying, like something was wrong with him. But there really wasn't, he just didn't want to start his romantic life out that way. 

With a sigh he changed course and went to the mausoleum in the belly of the palace instead. In the perfectly quiet atmosphere he sat down between all the sarcophagi that held his ancestors, directly in front of were his parents were peacefully resting in a niche in the wall. 

He had stopped talking to them a few months after their deaths, but sometimes when he wanted some peace and quiet he came here. Now in the privacy of his mind he made a wish that true love would come to him, and that he wouldn't need to pay money for it.

Back in his room he sat down to write his letter, but today more than usual he looked out of the window trying to find words to express his feelings.

~

Sex seemed like fun. 

Or at least that was Nagisa's judgement of it after he had undertaken an investigation into finding out what the whole thing was actually about. 

His interest wasn't in what went where, his mother had already told him that much. 

It was about the 'why' of the whole thing. He knew babies came from sex, but the dancing girls never got pregnant and there were boy whores and lady patrons, so that couldn't always be what it was about.

He had tried asking his sisters, none of whom were virgins anymore, his mother, the other girls, their guards, even the mistress. Most had answered, but the answers had ranged from “It's good money.” over “Sure, it's fun.” and “ugh, stay away from that Nagisa.” to “Kid, you have NO idea.” and “You are WAY too young to be asking that.” So that proved inconclusive, especially because many answers were more vague than that and more detailed enquiries often only elicited a shrug or the start of a sentence that was never finished.

But such small inconvenience would never deter one Nagisa Hazuki, oh no, he would get his answer. And the only way to do that if no-one could put into words properly, was to do his own research. 

Luckily that was pretty easy if you knew your way around a dancing house with private rooms and were small enough to fit into most niches. It was easy to find a spot where he could listen in on what went on in the private rooms, sometimes even peeping in, and after spending weeks with his investigations he knew a lot about the girls and the patrons.

The first thing he found out was that not all patrons wanted sex, many just wanted to talk, and those talks were often even more personal than the drunken conversation that went on in the main room.

The next thing he found out was that there were “good patrons” and “bad patrons”. The good were those the girls liked to go to bed with, they didn't have to haggle much, and were swarmed soon as they got through the door, and the girls seemed to genuinely enjoy the sex with them. 

The bad were the opposite, the girls only propositioned them when they really needed money, and during the sex they usually mostly lay back or just nominally followed orders and wishes without much enthusiasm. 

Funnily enough it didn't completely seem to be about looks. More than once Nagisa had seen a portly or bald man be descended upon in the main room who had later taken a girl to the private rooms and both seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves. 

According to Nagisa's observation what it really came down to was attentiveness. Those who cared had great nights, those who didn't not so much.

The more he learned the more he understood why his mother was so worried about him potentially already having sex. The intimacy of it all often became overwhelming to him, although he wasn't even part of the act, he could very well see how there could be abuse here.

When his investigation was complete he settled it in his mind.

Sex with someone, when you both cared, was fun. 

With that judgement in his pocket it was clear to Nagisa that he was not interested until he could find someone with whom he would care.

He knew that now, but the patrons didn't. More than once he was propositioned, by both men and women. Some used sweet words, others beckoned with money, one rather attractive woman in her thirties even made sex itself the offer, saying that she could “break him in.”

At the beginning he was so flustered that his mother had to shoo them away for him, although it didn't happen often because then he always went from the stage straight to his room. But increasingly he actually enjoyed lingering after his shows, talking to people, although he still avoided those whose looks he felt uncomfortable with. 

And more and more he was the one firmly but kindly declining any offers he was given. Most patrons accepted his rejection graciously, but soon he was in the weird position that the odd otherwise paying customer was being kicked out over him. 

One of the few regrets he had was that he was seeing his friends less and less, but with all the extra practice and learning how to do massages since recently, his own research and multiple shows starting in the after noon, there just was less time for them. 

The attention he got when dancing wasn't quite compensation enough although it was addictive in its own way. And the occasional present that came his way wasn't unwelcome either. 

So at twelve years old this was his life and for all the fears he had had just a year ago he was remarkably relaxed now, particularly because he knew how lucky he could count himself and how different his life would be if those responsible for him cared less.

So when he went to bed in the evenings he did so with a smile, and when he stood up in the morning he did so with energy. 

He owed that much to all the people that made his life as nice as it was and even more importantly he also owed it to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed, and please don't hit me.
> 
> I realise that some of the things about Nagisa are questionable but I'm still trying to build up to the drama here, while respecting my rather strict no shota rule, so bear with me. 
> 
> Other than that, if you enjoyed, the power is in your hands to make my day, either by leaving Kudos or by commenting.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Haru deals with a loss and Makoto does his best to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Behold, another attempt at Drama. 
> 
> But be warned, shitty metaphors ahead.
> 
> I still hope you enjoy though.

Haru felt like he was being buried under the desert sand. 

He couldn't breathe and there was an oppressive weight settled over his whole body. He wanted to scream but his throat was clogged up. 

The storm finally had settled down, and yet here he was, buried, unable to resurface and feeling his body slowly dry out, until all emotion and all will to fight had been sucked out of him. 

As emptiness overtook him he was sure that he was never going to escape this place. 

He wasn't sure that he wanted to.

~

Makoto was beyond tired. His eyes were sensitive from his late night crying and from sleep deprivation and his muscles were sore and cramped from all the extra work he had been doing, loading and unloading caravans in the early mornings and late evenings.

Over the last few weeks his energy reserves had been completely drained, and for now there didn't ssem to be a betterment in sight.

Haru's grandmother had fallen to her illness. One day her cough had worsened, blood sometimes landing in her hand, soon she was to weak to walk and heavy fevers were making communication impossible as she started slipping in and out of delusion. 

Makoto was full of admiration for his best friend who at only 14 had steadfastly stayed at her side. Still, it soon became clear that Haru couldn't manage on his own. His own mother had started to take care of the old woman then and consoling his siblings had eaten up even more of his time and energy than usual. 

That was when Makoto and his father started to work a second job each, and between trying to keep their financial situation stable, sleeping and taking care of the twins he hardly ever saw his best friend. 

When he did Haru looked like he himself felt: tired, haggard, lost. Yet, Makoto never saw signs of crying on his friends cheeks, which was just as well because Makoto was sure he was shedding enough tears for the both of them. 

After more than a month the illness seemed to wear off and the old woman, instead of tossing and turning slept away days and nights. For two days it almost looked like she would recover, before Haru banged down their door in the middle of the night and dragged him and his mother to his house where the fever was back and the smell of illness in the air.

There were no delusions however and when his grandmother in a weak voice told Haru one last time that she loved him, her pale blue eyes were lucid. 

She died that night, and although Haru squeezed his hand like it was his life line there were no tears. For once the same was true of Makoto. 

He only let his emotions flow free when he and Haru were back in his room, and Haru lay next to him unconscious with sleep, exhausted from weeks of care. 

~

It was weird seeing the new bump on the graveyard, close to the wall, unadorned, where his best friends grandmother now rested. He had known grandmother Nanase all his life, she had always been the one to make his clothes and when he visited Haru she had never been anything but kind. He would miss her dearly, but his feelings had to be nothing compared to Haru's

He had held his friend's hand the way they hadn't in a long time during the ceremony, where his parents had spoken a few words. Haru had remained silent and even now, when there were only the two of them left, he was staring at the grave. 

There had been no tears and even less words than usual. Makoto wondered if this was just Haru's way of dealing with the pain or a reason for concern.

Two weeks later he still couldn't be sure, but there was something different about Haru. He didn't want to go swimming, he had returned to work almost mechanically and even Makoto had trouble reading him.

His parents seemed at a loss too when it came to talking about the issue, and since every attempt was greeted with stony silence they stopped trying after a while.

Makoto spent many a night looking worriedly at Haru sleeping next to him, with a thousand feelings pulling his heart in different directions. For once he didn't know how to broach his worries to his friend.

And to top it all off he felt like something was not right with him, more specifically with his feelings toward Haru. 

The attraction to girls his father had promised had actually appeared bit by bit, but it was far outpaced by his appreciation of Haru, which had caused problems seeing as they spend non trivial amounts of time in the water with little clothing.

Makoto was reasonably sure that that was not how you were supposed to feel about your best friend. In particular these things shouldn't be on your mind when that friend was mourning a terrible loss.

It also wasn't productive when you had two jobs to take care of. Although he originally should have quit the second one when his mother could work again, he didn't. It seemed that his mother had caught something herself during that time, and even though she wasn't as sick as Haru's grandmother, her energy seemed to be sapped away, such that she spent a lot more time sleeping and taking care of the twins and the lighter chores around the house than working.

Of course right now Haru was contributing to his family's income, but although his work was still technically perfect a dullness of colour and pattern, very unlike his usual creativity, lowered the value of his fabrics.

Makoto was determined to do his part to maintain their standard of living, particularly because water rations had been reduced. In exchange for a fee more water could be purchased and Makoto did so whenever he could, hoping that a bit of extra fluid would help Haru. 

It didn't seem to really work, but it was worth the attempt every time.

Over his own busy life he hadn't even noticed that Kisumi seemed to not come over anymore at all. He missed his talkative friend a bit when it occurred to him. 

Nagisa brought some normalcy into his days by visiting when he could and keeping him up to date on their pool hours.

The younger boy had been devastated when he learned the news of why he hadn't seen Haru for so long, and Makoto had had to console the crying bundle of blonde hair and pink shawl, although he himself felt like crying thinking about it all. 

Nagisa's wish to give his condolences personally was not fulfilled, because Haru didn't take visitors and for once even Nagisa didn't argue.

The blond boy was also the one to bring the bad news that their swimming time would have to stop entirely, something Makoto had been fearing for quite a while. But of the servant children their age most were too busy working for the mid day relaxation and among the younger ones they wouldn't be able to hide. Makoto had known that it had to come to this at some point, after all Rin got too old for silly games too, and with so many eyes on him he wouldn't be able to justify such whims forever. It was actually half a miracle that they had lasted this long.

At that moment it didn't seem such a great loss to Makoto, Haru wasn't in the mood to swim anyway, and he himself certainly didn't have much time. And in any case it was easier to ignore the slight pain in his chest than to dwell on it.

When he was not working he was helping his mother, entertaining the twins or sitting with Haru, trying to start conversations. At some point he even offered his friend a piece of wood and a carving knife he had bought, hoping that a creative expression that had nothing to do with work would help Haru to find his way back into everyday life. 

Nothing seemed to work and sometimes Makoto thought bitterly that he really could use Rin's ability to light that competitive fire within Haru. But contact between them and the prince had fizzled to nothing in the last few months, and he didn't want to trouble Nagisa with getting Rin out of the palace on his own. 

Nagisa had other plans however and visited them at his home around noon one day and physically dragged him and an unwilling Haru towards the palace. Nagisa was in his full dancer outfit and surprisingly enough this time they didn't have to pick some sneaky way. Nagisa just had a short conversation with the guards, (Was he flirting with that young looking one?) and they were let in without much question. Haru's face was still passive, but Makoto had to school his face into a neutral expression. Whatever this was, it probably wasn't smart to raise suspicions.

Nagisa led them through the palace with frankly incredible confidence and conviction until they came out at the other end overlooking a pool against which the other one paled in comparison. Instead of lush grass there was a beautiful stone terrace around the water, and on one end of it a pavilion had been erected. In it Rin was draped over comfortable looking pillows, with a girl opposite him, whose hair-colour matched his perfectly. 

They had met Gou a few times, but always very briefly. This time was no different. When Rin noticed them and came over she did too, greeted them and then went inside, as if not to intrude.

When he looked at Rin, the change was palpable, he had grown recently, and the self-confident, happy air had made way to a more shy and subdued demeanour. Makoto wondered what the cause of that change might be. 

Rin seemed as lost for words as they were, but still managed shy condolences for Haru's loss, before offering them a dip in the pool.

Makoto hadn't missed how Haru's eyes had been glued to the water the whole time, and now his friend was walking toward the sparkling blue, first dipping his fingers in, then his hands, his arms, his head. 

When he re-emerged he threw off his clothes and jumped head first into the water, swimming like a fish within moments.

Makoto felt a weight drop from his shoulders, watching his friend actually somewhat happy again. He joined too and for a while things seemed more alright again as Nagisa and Rin jumped in after them.

Afterwards they hurried home, although Nagisa remained at the palace. Haru still wasn't talking, and the tenseness in his shoulders had hardly diminished, but for the first time in forever Makoto saw something like improvement and it made him smile.

When he got home in the evening from his second job he even saw chips of wood spread over the ground in their room, and Haru in the middle of them, attempting to carve something out of the piece of wood Makoto had left him. The twins were sitting at his side in awe and Makoto felt his heart lift at the sight.

There may be hope yet.

~

The emptiness had become comforting, his inability to breathe clouding his brain to the point that thinking was actually impossible. In his head, there was perfect silence now and like this he could stay in this place forever.

The only disturbance was the noise of the sand-masses above him shifting every so often. How bothersome that was. He liked it here in the dark, there was no need to dig him out. 

Every so often there was a glimpse of green, shining through the sand before the hole closed itself again. But whoever wanted to get to him was rather persistent. 

The digging never stopped and one day, more sand seemed to be shifting at once, there were more colours than usual too. This time, a hand, slightly larger than his was extended to him. Looking up he saw that green again. On the one hand he didn't want to leave, on the other that green was so very inviting. Grabbing that hand wasn't easy, but he managed and felt himself be pulled up slowly but steadily.

He was not freed from his prison at once, but now at least his head was above the sand. His body was still oppressed by the weight, but his throat was clear again, so that he could breathe at least a little bit.

He could look around too and there was a smile in a childish face, fully reaching pink eyes. 

Behind that there were maroon ones, framed by red bangs and a competitive grin.

And of course there was the beautiful green and the softest, most caring expression.

He remembered his friends. And looking above them, there was the endless blue of sparkling water, such that he could almost feel the wetness reinvigorate his soul. 

He was not free yet, but here was something he wanted to come back to, and the firm grip around his hand reassured him that he wouldn't have to fight the emptiness on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember those minor character deaths I warned about in the first chapter? Here they begin.
> 
> If you enjoyed and feel like making someones day, comments and kudos do that for me.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we discover the series of events that led to the reunion at the larger Pool.
> 
> Also meet angsty Teenager Rin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooo, and thanks for everyone who is reading, giving Kudos and commenting.
> 
> This one is a bit longer again and shitty as always.
> 
> I am doing my best though and hope that you enjoy at least a bit.

Nagisa had originally hoped that the number of his suitors would decrease as he got older. 

Unfortunately it seemed that the number was going the other way and although flirting was fun (and profitable, to the mistress' delight), consistently having to turn down people really wasn't. 

Or maybe that wasn't the problem. Maybe it was that he had only seen Makoto briefly every few days, and Haru not at all for weeks now. Rin and Ai still let him in to swim, but those occasions were becoming rarer and rarer too.

His life was dancing and flirting, and training and learning, and repeat right now, and as fun as it had been in the beginning and even was now sometimes, increasingly he felt tired of it.

The worry about his friends didn't help, Makoto was a lot less forthcoming than usual, and he didn't have time or energy to get a hold of Haru. The only thing that seemed clear was that neither of them was well at the moment. 

They weren't the only ones either. He sometimes saw Kisumi, who before had used any opportunity to slack off work, and was now asking around for a second job. Nagisa had heard through the grapevine that his father had taken to drink after the birth of his little brother. 

Later he had learned that his mother had died in childbirth, which really explained most of the situation. 

When he saw the tired face under the pink hair, he wondered if Kisumi needed someone to talk, but Nagisa really only knew him through Makoto and Kisumi couldn't be called his friend. 

After a while he decided to try anyway, but was send away with a fake grin and forced optimism. Maybe Makoto would be a better choice, but he was working two jobs now too and seemed entirely busy with himself. 

He wasn't even sad when Nagisa informed him that swimming in the palace pool wasn't in the cards anymore. The blond still sometimes met Ai in front of their entrance to know about new developments, but going in seemed off the table for now.

Something was so wrong that Nagisa contemplated snooping after him to find out what was going on, but before he could investigate, Makoto finally explained the situation to him.

He swore that his heart was breaking for Haru, and for Makoto too after he really took in the tired lines in his friends face.

His routine of dancing, and training and flirting now was broken with a whole lot of thinking on how he might be able to help out.

At least until one day his musings were interrupted by the mistress calling a few of them together with important news.

~

The floor in Rin's room was littered with different garments. The prince had been fretting over what to wear for todays diplomatic dinner the whole morning and Ai had been the one to pick up after him. 

Not that he was complaining, being the personal servant of the prince was much more pleasant work than spending all your days in the dark, hot kitchens, especially because he was rather clumsy and happy that he didn't have to wield a knife anymore. Instead his days were spent cleaning up, bringing food and drink and absorbing emotional distress.

And seeing as Rin was exuding more and more of that recently, his job was safe. Not that Ai could blame him. Relations with Samezuka were becoming increasingly hostile and the first taxes had already been raised and free water rations cut to raise money in order to pay more soldiers and hire mercenaries if necessary. 

All of Rin's protestations had been for nothing, and with every ineffective resistance to the regent's plans Ai had seen the prince's self confidence wane more and his guilt grow. It had been strange seeing the cheerful prince become so quiet and insecure. 

He guessed that not seeing his friends anymore also was part of this change. Ai did his best to be good company, but even he knew that he couldn't really replace kind Makoto and competitive Haru. Even Nagisa with all his energy was better at lifting Rin's spirits than he was. The only thing he could try was to quietly support the prince through his every day life. 

Like now, when he held up the two garments Rin was trying to decide between, one a greenish colour that really brought out the red eyes and hair, the other a deep red that surprisingly didn't terribly clash with the prince's hair.

Ai was becoming a bit impatient but swallowed his comment about how it was just clothes, knowing how important impressions were for these kinds of events. Still, the absolutely lost look on the prince's face was a bit silly, he looked gorgeous in either one of them. Hell, if you stuck him in a barrel with only his limbs and head peeking out people probably would still walk by and comment on how handsome he was, and rightly so. 

But such musings were unworthy of a servant so Ai pushed them away with the promise to get back to them at night. 

Rin finally settled on red and Ai prepared his clothes and tidied up while his master was taking his bath. He had just finished putting the clothes back in their chest when there was a knock at the door and the princess walked in. 

He bowed slightly, only seeing her exasperated expression out of the corner of his eyes. Princess Kou never liked being looked at as a superior, and was beloved with the servants for her friendly ways and uncomplicated nature, but Ai still couldn't really help himself.

“Where is my brother?” she asked, walking in and gracefully sinking down on the divan. 

“He is taking his bath, but we already decided on the clothes.” There must have been exasperation in his voice, because the princess looked at him with mirth in her eyes.

“So today there isn't going to be a last minute rush?” she knew all to well that while Rin was never late, he was always hectic before an event. Ai sighed a deep sigh.

“Don't say that too loudly, there is always time to stress.” Her face fell a bit and took on the worried note it often did lately as she looked towards the private washing room and then turned to Ai in a whisper.

“Is he..?” she gesticulated, helpless, but Ai knew what she meant, and just nodded. Rin wouldn't even talk to his sister, even though they always had been close, and with the obvious change in character the both of them were pretty worried. Even Seijuro whom Ai had met precisely once had commented on the change to him and asked if he knew details about the "why" of this transformation. 

But all he had were guesses as good as anyone else's and the prince certainly didn't seem willing to come clean about his emotions.

Kou took a deep sigh and leaned back onto her hands, waiting silently.

She didn't have to be patient for long. Her brother soon came out, hair still damp and only wide pants hanging low on his toned hips. He looked a bit flustered at the sight of his sister and slipped into an under shirt as quickly as possible.

“Yes Kou, can I help you?” That seemed to annoy her.

“Can't I just see you for a moment, without a reason?” she asked and Ai saw the unmistakable guilty flinch in Rin's shoulders as he busied himself with brushing out his red locks. But he didn't talk, so Kou sighed and started in her reason for being here. “I just wanted to see what you'll wear so we don't clash, it's better to present a united front, don't you think?”

Rin nodded vaguely and Ai wasn't sure he was completely listening. But at least he donned the prepared clothes and looked as incredible in them as was to be expected. Gou seemed content too and grabbed her protesting brother by the arm, dragging him to her room so he could help her pick something that would match. 

Ai just saw an attempt to spend time together, something that Rin's moodiness was diminishing a lot more than all his obligations combined.

He just wanted to follow them, convinced that they would need someone to hang clothes on to compare, but soon as he left the door one of the regent's personal servants stopped him and asked him to meet the dancers that had been invited from some dancing house in the city. 

He would do it himself, but something was going wrong with the kitchen, and there was a problem with their guests' lodgings and a thousand other things. You would think the palace was on fire from how he talked, but Ai was nothing if not willing to help so he nodded and took of toward the main entrance where he waited next to one of the guards until the unmistakable colours and billowing shawls came into sight.

He instructed the guards to let them in and greeted the leader, a silver haired, busty woman, scandalously clad, even for a dancer. The other girls were looking around exited, giggling and talking amongst each other. Among them he also spotted two young men, as well as one blonde that looked very familiar. 

Before he could dwell on it, the mistress, as he was supposed to call the leader, cleared her throat and looked at him expectantly. Embarrassed he led them inside and into a small room next to the throne room where they could prepare and then showed them the stage for the musicians, next to the free space where they could dance. 

But the curiosity remained. The coincidence was a bit too much and sure enough, when he turned around he found himself face to face with Nagisa, who looked around in awe before pink eyes locked with his.

Ai must have stared a little long because other dancers seemed to have noticed, and under their curious gaze he really didn't know how to react. 

Nagisa thankfully didn't have such problems, grinned at him mischievously and winked flirtatiously before turning around with some serious flourish and sauntering off toward the stage.

Ai felt his cheeks heat up as he fled the scene. That had been unexpected. He had known that Nagisa was a dancer but that had been so different from his usual bubbly, silly self, that it was almost surreal.

At least his red cheeks would serve well enough as a cover up. Now he just needed to warn the prince.

~

When Ai gave him the news that Nagisa of all people was among the dancers that stressed Rin out even more than he already was. Now on top of trying to take some influence in the direction of a peaceful resolution with Samezuka he had to pretend that he didn't know him and hope that no one else would recognise him. Granted that chance was small, but it might happen, and Rin didn't need anything going wrong.

He already felt uncomfortable enough in his own skin without adding secrecy into the mix. When he walked down the corridor with Gou and Ai at his heels, his limbs felt too long and gangly, the last growth spurt leaving him uncoordinated. Was he walking weird? Were his arms hanging to straight or moving too much? Would he have to talk? His voice sounded horrible, but he couldn't well take an influence without speaking could he? 

At least Nagisa hopefully would know not to give them away, he had to know with all the secrecy in his life already, right? Would he dance at the show? Probably. The thought was extremely uncomfortable, even though he had already seen it before. Okay, that had been years ago, but still, how much could have changed? Nagisa was still a child after all.

Thankfully he quickly learned that the plan was to first have some talks and then the entertainment. He sank into his throne, feeling as small as usual, and Gou gracefully in the pillows next to him while Ai reliably found his place between them, standing at attention.

There was no sign of the dancers, but the musicians, some of whom looked vaguely familiar had taken their place at the stage and were playing.

There were six diplomats this time, Samezuka had sent completely new people and all of them seemed interested in better relations. It would be a pleasant development, but Rin remembered from his lessons that such sudden changes of heart always were to be taken with a grain of salt and he listened intently for any slip ups and signs of subterfuge. 

He didn't know whether it was his inexperience or their earnestness, but he couldn't detect anything suspicious. Maybe it was the hope to improve trade relations again and finally not have military threat hang over his people that blinded him, but in any case he tried to project his earnest desire to keep everything peaceful and have relations to the benefit of both their kingdoms.

They actually spend a pleasant afternoon, surrounded by music that was as good as he remembered, with food and wine being consumed so liberally that even he drank a glass of the alcohol (but no more because he immediately felt the effects).

Ai was waiting on him and Gou. He really was a great servant, completely unobtrusive. If it wasn't for your glass filling and the foods you want appearing in front of you, you wouldn't even know he was there. He was always like that, being quietly supportive without demanding anything in return. Rin would have to do something nice as thanks for Ai's support some time in the near future.

They laid out some groundwork for a trade agreement for fabrics, and Rin was actually happy with himself for once, thinking of his friends and the opportunities that could bring for them.

As the day went on more and more wine was flowing, and the music was becoming louder, until any civilised talk ceased and the dancers were finally called in.

There was a group of young girls first who were actually better than he remembered, and who very well could keep up with any of the concubines he had ever seen. They were joined by two men, packed with lean muscles, who offered an interesting show with staffs, their movements a fascinating dance, quite separate from the girls' swaying hips, and yet weirdly compatible. 

Lastly the dancers elegantly opened a way, and there was Nagisa, as blonde as always, but there was this air again that made Rin really uncomfortable. And the next moment he had actual difficulty not dropping his jaw.

He had seen undulations and swaying hips and snake arms a thousand types on women, some of them really good dancers, but this was a very different experience. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but this androgynous body, twisting and swaying, hips almost shimmying the wide translucent pants down slender legs, was as enticing as and mesmerising as the best girl dancer he had ever seen. 

When he realised the thought it made him feel a bit dirty. Even more so when he noticed that Nagisa wasn't just dancing, he was fucking flirting. There was very very clear eye contact made, even with him, and there was that wink again, accentuated against a powerful hip kick. 

And how everyone was staring. He swore Gou actually was ogling, as was the combined delegation of distinguished diplomats, and embarrassingly enough he would have to add himself into that number. 

Even Ai couldn't turn his eyes away, though the emotion in them was equal parts admiration and confusion instead of lust.

The show met with much applause as Nagisa was smiling into the crowd and bowing elegantly after having finished.

At least now Rin knew what the uncomfortable feeling around Nagisa was. He always thought Nagisa was just copying things he didn't really understand, acting sexual beyond his age, in bursts of imitation. 

That might have been true 4 years ago, but now he saw quite plainly that Nagisa knew what he was doing, he was in fact doing it on purpose. Exploiting it even, judging by the way he settled on the pillows between the diplomats making compliments, fluttering his eyelashes, laughing at stupid jokes. Nagisa was delighting in the attention like he wasn't 13 but at least half a decade older. 

Rin seriously wondered if that was healthy. He knew there were boy whores that age, even that there were younger ones, but seeing what he saw now, he wondered if Nagisa was one of them and how that might affect his friends mental stability. 

He scanned for signs of unhappiness or forced laughter, but apart from a few tired expressions when he thought no one was looking nothing seemed amiss. 

The strangest thing was how Nagisa remained himself while at the same time turning this strange allure on. He was still babbling a lot of silly things, his mannerisms were still bubbly and kind of cute, but there was just this punctuation of his normal behaviour with fluttering lashes and suggestive smiles.

He obviously had become the hit of the party, and Rin actually had to hand it to him that he wasn't a bad conversationalist. The men probably didn't take him seriously as far as his opinions were concerned but they enjoyed his jokes and little dancing house stories greatly from the looks of it. 

Gou poked him in the side and when he turned he was met with a look of seriousness and shock. “He is as old as me right?” she sounded doubtful, and who could blame her? 

They both looked to the busy blonde again and Gou next to him voiced the obvious. “He's really good though.” 

Of course the dancers had surrounded them too in the beginning, but when neither of them showed interest in flirting or drinking they respectfully had turned to more willing victims and now only occasionally included the royal siblings in a joke or a story. 

Rin had to admit that Nagisa was keeping their secret perfectly, nothing about their interaction seemed weird.(Except the flirting, that was more than weird).

But just as he thought that this day could have a nice resolution he was taught better. He should have seen it coming, really. Here was a bunch of drunk men, accustomed to get what they want, and some very attractive dancers. He knew proposals would be forthcoming, but he hadn't thought that Nagisa would have to demure quite so often. 

In a cruel twist of fate the regent himself seemed most interested in Nagisa, and thereby confirmed Rin's theory that the old man had a rather peculiar taste. After he had made Ai his personal servant he had noticed quite a few looks being thrown at his grey haired companion. 

He couldn't say that he liked that. And right now it was obvious that Nagisa was having a hard time phrasing a no in such a way that would be respectful to the ruler of the city and clear at the same time. He liked that even less.

Gou was grabbing his wrist, bidding him to do something and he could feel Ai's tenseness next to himself. He looked to the other dancers for help but most of them seemed already very busy with their own affairs. Three of the diplomats had already been led away and Rin could swear that more dancers than politicians were missing.

Nagisa had his hands put up defensively by now, his smile was nervous and he seemed a little helpless. 

It was then that Rin made the decision. He took a deep breath and moved from his throne toward the pair. 

“I want him.” he blurted out, internally slapping himself for the terrible way he had worded that. 

Old eyes looked at him confused before they lit up and Nagisa was practically shoved towards him.

“Very good choice. I hope you enjoy yourself.” Rin could hear the 'FINALLY' ring through every last syllable, but it didn't matter now. 

He helped Nagisa to his feet and led him away, looking to the side, embarrassed.

“You want me, huh?” the question took him of guard and when he turned to Nagisa he was greeted with mischief in hooded eyes. 

“Not like that.” He clarified, and his voice sounded really weird too when he said it. Damn it.

“You break my heart, your majesty.” the hurt was very much pretend and most of the flirtatious aura seemed gone by the time they actually got to his room, where Nagisa looked around in wonder, and promptly threw himself onto the canopy bed.

With his head hanging down from the edge of the bed Nagisa looked him in the eyes, now his cheery childish self again. “Thank you by the way, I really appreciate that save.” 

Rin blushed a bit “Don't mention it.” Luckily Gou and Ai had finally managed to excuse themselves too and were joining them. 

They spent a bit of time playing games and telling stories before both Gou and Ai retired for the night.

Rin wanted to do the same, but to maintain appearances it probably would be better that Nagisa sleep with him. 

That is in the same room as him.

When he turned to the younger boy to discuss the matter he was greeted with thoughtful eyes and brows furrowed in concentration. 

“Is there something you want to talk about?” He asked carefully, with Nagisa you never knew. One time he had asked that question it had ended in them almost destroying a market stall and the near decapitation of a chicken.

“I was just thinking. I need more free time, and I think you need an alibi whore.” It sounded so crass phrased like that, and that the blonde could refer to himself in such a way actually made Rin shudder. But the idea behind it wasn't bad. He just wasn't sure that they could pull it off.

On the other hand the regent would be so happy that he hadn't turned out a eunuch that he probably would overlook a few holes in the story when he became aware of them.

“Sounds like at least a bit of a plan, any idea for the how?” Rin asked sceptically, how did one go about acquiring a concubine anyway? Would he have to keep Nagisa in the palace, maybe start a harem?

Those thoughts were shaken off as Nagisa leaned into his personal space, eyes hooded, seductive smile on pink lips.

Then he was bumped on the nose and with a giggle and a fluttering of eye lashes Nagisa revealed his brilliant plan:

“We just ask for it _nicely_ , silly.”

Looking at that face and remembering the day Rin actually found that idea quite plausible, and with their plan laid out, they fell asleep. 

It was almost frightening, how well the plan had worked. Nagisa did not move into the palace, although the regent offered him accommodations, but after just a few weeks he had the complete run of it. He knew every guard, every maid, every servant, every entrance and every last niche that could be used for eavesdropping.

Rin wondered what the use for this information hunt was, but knowing Nagisa he didn't question too much and just hoped that the endgoal wasn't blackmail. 

He had noticed a lingering restlessness in the other boy, and after digging a bit one day he was informed that Haru's grandmother had died a while ago, and that Nagisa had been brooding over a way to help him for quite a while now.

Rin could sympathise with the pain Haru had to feel rather well. He could still remember his unwillingness to crawl out of bed when his parents didn't come back alive from a diplomatic visit. A sand storm supposedly caught their party off guard, resulting in many injuries. Most of the people that had been in that caravan did not return at all, and his parents only dead.

His responsibility for his father's kingdom and his sister had pulled him out in the end, and he wondered if he could do something similar for Haru. 

They conspired over this in the hours he was pretending to be intimate with Nagisa,(the closest they got were massages and that was weird enough for him), but the solution they always got back to was water. 

It was actually a happy accident that showed them the way. The regent had decided now that Rin was a man, he could upgrade to the larger pool and have his own adult parties, invite some nobles over, order his own company from the harem or the city's dancing houses or travelling artists.

Rin had never particularly cared for most of the noble children. They had tried in the beginning, but if the servant children looked at him too much as a master, noble children looked at him as a ticket into the palace. He preferred the former over the latter and his playtime with nobility had been put on hold. That had probably been the only time he had successfully overridden the wishes of the regent.

Even now, when he had gotten used to noble children coming over for special events like his birthday and banquets and such, he just hadn't ever formed a connection to any of them. But if they could be his new pretence to muck around in the water with the people he did like, so be it. 

So their plan was conceived and put into action. 

On the day of their plan he spent the little free time he had in the morning pacing. For once he hadn't had to lie about his plans for noon at breakfast. He had quite truthfully said that he wanted to meet some friends of Nagisa's. He tried to channel Nagisa's dark side when he said it too and it seemed to convince the regent enough to get off his case. Had he known that he could get anyone in by pretending that he wanted to sleep with them, he might have started doing that a lot earlier.

He met his sister at the pavilion, after his morning lesson in politics, where they sat down and talked for a while. He could feel that she was trying to ease his anxieties a bit, but while it was appreciated, it didn't really help with knowing what to say.

It was high noon when Nagisa was physically dragging the taller boys out into the sunlight. 

Makoto looked beyond tired. He had grown again, but not just in height. His muscles had developed quite a bit, probably due to that second job Nagisa had told him about, and Rin made a note of his growing attractiveness. 

Haru looked more like a doll than a human, but if he was a puppet, he was fantastically crafted. Rin suppressed the blush noticing the beauty of his friend and instead came over to him. 

Gou was coming as well, greeting the two, obviously eyeing Makoto's muscles and then hurrying inside.

Rin offered his sympathies but Haru seemed more interested in the water, and when he plunged in first his arms and then his body it weirdly seemed that the water made him breathe again. 

He noticed that Makoto folded in on himself in relief and for a moment he thought that the brunet might start crying. But no such thing happened. Instead they all found themselves in the water soon. 

It wasn't quite like before, Rin still felt anxious, Nagisa was sexual far beyond his age, Haru still didn't talk or fully relax and Makoto looked dead tired.

But here was at least some happiness for the four of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments give me life, so if you wanna play god and breathe some life into an author whose ramblings you enjoy, the power is with you.
> 
> Also how fucking obvious is it that I live for Whore!Nagisa. Although he isn't technically one yet I just loooove the concept.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Haru and Makoto reflect on themselves and each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, sorry that this update is a few days late.
> 
> I had a lovely weekend at a festival, and on friday my final oral exam for university is coming up, after which I will hopefully be finally free. 
> 
> Unfortunately that means that my normal update schedule of every other day has been and will continue to be on a hiatus until I have that sorted out, so updates will come a lot mor infrequent or maybe even be completely halted until I can concentrate on writing again. 
> 
> With that out of the way for the few that actually care, I hope you enjoy this installment of, "MakoHaru, they might as well be married."

Sitting next to Makoto on the roof of the Tachibana household, with a mild evening wind blowing around them Haru felt somehow guilty, again. 

It was a feeling that had been brewing for quite a while, starting after he emerged from his grief.

The cause of it all was sitting opposite him, face tired, limbs just hanging down powerlessly.

Back then he had moved into his grandmother's house again, ignoring the Tachibanas' objections. It was a small place, but it had been theirs, now it was his and at least for the moment he had wanted to hold on to that. Besides, he felt bad for troubling Makoto with his uncontrolled emotions and being around his ever accommodating friend was making him feel even worse, like he was exploiting his welcome.

The guilt had subsided somewhat when he returned to his normal daily routine, and his contribution to the upkeep of the family increased as his creativity returned. Makoto didn't even have to work quite as much any more, at least for a little while.

Then Makoto's father died of lockjaw. The death had been sudden and horrible to witness and yet Haru wasn't as shaken as when his grandmother died. He felt guilty about that too, after all he had quite a lot to thank the Tachibanas for and his own subdued sadness felt somehow ungrateful.

Makoto was devastated, even more so when his mother, who had never quite recovered, started getting even worse, leaving Makoto not only as the main bread winner but also the one who had to explain to his little siblings where their father had gone and what was happening with their mother.

She didn't live to see Makoto's 16th birthday.

Haru felt bad for never finding the words to voice his appreciation of Makoto's self control. When his siblings had cried for their parents, wailing and sobbing and denying what was so obviously true, he had shed a few tears, but with remarkable calmness consoled the twins and held everything together.

Haru probably was the only one who knew just how many nights Makoto spend sobbing his eyes out, crying in his parents' bed, away from his siblings. He knew because most of the time he was there, next to his friend. Here was another thing to be guilty about, as much as he himself missed Makoto's parents, and as much as he hated seeing Makoto depressed, he enjoyed that they were so close again and that he was the one Makoto trusted most. 

It was a terribly selfish thing to feel in light of Makoto's pain. A pain that he kept incredibly well hidden. Haru felt even more guilty about his own breakdown seeing how valiant Makoto was going about his days, working diligently and still accepting the odd job loading caravans, although their situation wasn't so bad, with a few carpets and rolls of fabric still left over from his parents, a modest inheritance and Haru's own contribution.

Haru figured it was because Makoto was aiming for a thorough education of his siblings so that at least one of them might become a scribe, if they so chose, but that required a tutor and those were expensive.

Seeing Makoto work so hard, made him feel like a slacker, and though that usually wouldn't bother him, he didn't want to be one when his friend needed him. Consequently he had made his wood carving into a little side business, creating statues when he was tired of weaving the whole day and when there was no swim to be had. It actually was pretty relaxing and even he had to admit to himself that he had become rather good at it, at least compared to the crude dog that had been his first attempt and that Makoto had accepted with utmost delight and a smile that forced Haru to avert his eyes, heart pounding, feeling truly alive for the first time since his grandmother's death.

Makoto had even convinced his boss that he could sell the statuettes at the shop, as long as it didn't take up much space or interfere with his actual work.

All of Makoto's business meant that Haru was stuck looking after the twins most of the time, although they thankfully were already 8 years old and could take on some duties around the house themselves. Cooking however fell to Haru, and although he still usually went home to sleep, for all other intents and purposes he lived at Makoto's. 

Sometimes he felt absurdly domestic, preparing food and learning to properly cook in the process, taking care of the laundry and both houses, breaking up fights between the twins and consoling them during their frequent bursts of mourning. He even saw Makoto off in the mornings, giving him his lunch and waited for him in the evenings before they would have dinner together and then maybe play cards or chess with the twins.

Haru was almost too busy to miss the water, but every once in a while he felt restless when he hadn't had a swim for a long time. Around which time Nagisa would usually stroll around the corner and inform them of when Rin could see them. 

They couldn't always accept, much to Haru's chagrin, but most of the time they did. Unfortunately they weren't always among themselves now. Rin would often invite nobles as an alibi and have Nagisa perform shows. He and Makoto would just sit by then and try to be inconspicuous while swimming. Neither of them really offered a reason to be there, but no one really seemed to question it either. 

That is until it clicked in Haru's head why Rin would occasionally pull him or Makoto away and inside for a while with ridiculous excuses and why Makoto's cheeks were often red after he returned or after one of those pesky spoiled brats addressed him.

Everyone there thought they were prostitutes. 

Everyone there thought they were sleeping with Rin and apparently that Makoto was taking offers.

That idea was more than just uncomfortable. And the thought often turned up unbidden if Makoto might accept one of those offers someday or worse that him and Rin were actually doing something like that when they were alone. 

They didn't see each other often, but Haru had the distinct feeling that Rin was seeking out Makoto even more than before.

It was no surprise really. Rin seemed more and more insecure, such that even Haru would like to help if he weren't so damn awkward. He and Rin were still competing about every last thing, particularly in the water, and although they used to be pretty evenly matched, Haru had noticed that he had started to win more and more, and that Rin's self-doubts seemed to be increasing with every loss. 

It had come to a point where Haru actually dreaded their competitions sometimes although he used to enjoy the fire Rin lit in him greatly. Unfortunately he had learned that letting Rin win or trying to avoid a race yielded even worse results than Rin losing fairly. But that was the level on which they related most and Haru honestly didn't know how else to communicate with Rin.

Makoto however was the perfect person to entrust your darkest fears too. He never judged, never made you feel bad about yourself and was always kind, attentive and caring.

Haru just hoped that verbal comfort was the only thing Rin got from Makoto. And even for that he felt guilty: he knew Makoto wasn't a pet he could control, but the very concept of Makoto and Rin together made him nauseous. 

So here he was, sitting on the roof of Makoto's home, watching his best friend relax and feeling guilty about all the things he couldn't say that needed saying, about his own weakness, about how little he could really do to help Makoto's with his pain, and how selfishly he tried to tie his friend to himself. 

But then green eyes turned to him, and although they amplified the guilt, it was still drowned out by the explosion of positive feelings and when there was that smile, tired but grateful, Haru almost felt like he didn't need to stress so much about his shortcomings. 

~

Makoto couldn't tell when he had realized that he loved his best friend.

He couldn't even remember when he had strung the thought coherently together in his own head for the first time.

It might have been when they stood in front of his parents' graves, twins clinging to his legs, crying while he did his level best to not let more than a few stray tears flow down his cheeks. Haru had adorned his mother's grave with one of his most beautiful woodcarvings. An owl, much like the ones on the grave of his father and Haru's grandmother. 

Afterwards Haru had taken Ren's hand, he himself Ran's and the twins were for once peacefully holding hands in the middle as they all went home together.

Maybe it had been when he had first collapsed into hysterical sobs after his mother died, the bedroom empty but still smelling of sickness after one of the neighbours had taken her lifeless body from their house to prepare the funeral, or when Haru had stayed by his side through every moment of his father's agonizing death that they didn't have to spent earning money.

It might have been when during one of their visits with Rin, Haru had come up to him, looking very earnest, and blurted out whether Makoto knew that everyone thought they were prostitutes.

He had felt his cheeks redden because he had known, but stifled a laugh because it was very like Haru to have overlooked being propositioned by nobles for a solid half year before catching on.

The whole situation was beyond embarrassing, but the helpless yet serious look on his best friend's face was just too adorable.

It might also have been the first day of getting back to work, where Haru had called him back inside in the morning, handing him a bundle filled with food. Blue eyes hadn't met his, and the dough pockets filled with cabbage hadn't exactly tasted stellar, but Haru had obviously thought of him, and being cared about so much still helped Makoto's get out of bed every morning, and every morning he was pleasantly surprised that he was receiving his lunch from Haru again.

It might even have been much earlier, when Haru had helped him with his sums, as his father tried to teach them the basics, or helped him to bury that first dried out puppy all those years back or when they had gotten water together, or went to the market or sat on his roof on any given day. 

It really was impossible to tell, particularly because Makoto didn't feel like his feelings toward Haru had ever changed dramatically. He didn't feel differently about Haru as his friend than he had when they were children, instead it felt like the other emotions had always been slumbering in him were being uncovered and layering and extending the prvious one quite naturally without disturbing them much. 

He still worried about Haru not taking care of himself properly and maybe being lonely sometimes, he still hid behind him, because although he was much taller than his friend now, Haru was still his rock when he was afraid of something.

Nothing of that had changed, the only thing that was different was that he now noticed how Haru walked, how his body was developing, all lean muscle, toned by swimming and spending quite a bit of time entertaining his siblings, who were not only very active but also very fast. How attractive his face was becoming, cute, childish features making way for more mature, handsome ones. How effortlessly graceful all of his movements seemed to be in contrast to Makoto's own lumbering steps.

In short, Haru had become not only the centre of his life, but also of his erotic fantasies. His wet dreams, that used to be inconclusive or at least just featured his friend only occasionally had become very explicit and now concentrated almost exclusively on Haru. It wasn't helping that a newly deflowered Nagisa enjoyed kissing and telling, feeding fantasies that ripped Makoto apart between guilt and pleasure.

He even had to change his parents' bed against his when he moved into their old room. While he started needing the space more and more after their deaths just to relax at night, he also started craving a release he never dared give himself with his siblings in the same room. And pleasuring himself in his parents' bedroom was bad enough without doing it in the bed they had slept in.

Haru, however, at almost seventeen still didn't seem interested in anything that had to do with sex. On the one hand it really was a relief that Haru didn't seem interested in running off with Rin, on the other it was maddeningly frustrating to not know what Haru was feeling on the topic; if he was interested in boys at all, if he was interested in anything that wasn't water, if Makoto maybe had to resign himself to finding happiness in someone else, maybe a nice wife, and have a few kids of his own. 

The idea filled him with distaste instead of longing, but maybe that could change over the years.

All of those musings thankfully didn't really affect his daily life much. If his gaze lingered on Haru a little longer than was appropriate for friends there was always some convenient excuse, and since thankfully the way he related to Haru had not really been altered in any other way, his feelings were surprisingly easy to hide in plain sight. 

His love for Haru had long since been woven into the fabric of his life, such that realizing it hadn't even really be necessary. The feeling just kind of was always there drifting in and out of his acute awareness, and when he did things for Haru that looked suspiciously like things lovers do, well, it's what they used to do for each other since forever, right? 

And sitting out here on the roof of his house, tired and scared of the future as he was, at least he could count on Haru to support him, and that was more than enough to have his heart overflow with gratitude. 

When he met those blue eyes with a tired smile, having his friend here, was all that he could ask, at least for this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The working title for this chapter was married life, for some reason. 
> 
> I hope you liked it, even though I now made my two darlings orphans and maybe didn't quite give the Tachibana parents the send off they deserved. 
> 
> I have a reason for not lingering as long on Makoto's grief though, because I feel like Makoto, as opposed to Haru, is well enough attuned to his emotions and good enough at expressing them that working through a grieving process would be easier for him, particularly because he has his siblings absolutely depending on him functioning as an adult. 
> 
> So while I think Makoto would probably cry during the night like there is no tomorrow for months, he would be able to get back into a regular life much quicker than Haru would. On the other hand, if stress continued piling on him after that I believe he might snap a lot worse than Haru did, because he probably couldn't stop taking on a much greater burden than he reasonably should and crushing himself under the wish to manage the impossible.
> 
> Well, that is that for my ramblings, and if you enjoyed, drop me a comment or Kudos, and if you didn't tell me why so I can improve.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kou, Nagisa and Ai have a chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what I do when I should be studying folks, 
> 
> Well, I hope you enjoy although this chapter as well as the last few probably aren't proofread as well as they should be. Speaking of which, if someone wants to beta read for me, I am more than open to that.

Her brother was causing Kou untold worry, his insecurity rising and increasing by the day, to the point that he not only started crying easily (which had been a prominent habit when he was younger) but became aggressive when things weren't going his way. 

A week ago he had even snapped at Ai who probably was the most benign and accommodating creature for miles, and just because Ai hadn't left his room fast enough after bringing him his evening meal. 

Kou wistfully remembered the days when the two of them would eat together in the evenings, when they would talk to each other. It didn't seem so long ago that her brother was confiding in her, jumping on her bed at night or huddling together with her on her balcony to think up stories and tell her about his day and she him about hers.

Now she could be grateful when he acknowledged her existence should they pass each other in the corridor. 

That didn't mean that he was a bad brother in every respect, in fact Kou blessed his heart every day, and twice on days where the regent tried to bring up potential candidates for her marriage. The beginning of Rin's bad mood had coincided with the first of those attempts. That day was the first time she really saw her brother angry, not annoyed because she was bothering him, or broke his favourite wind up toy, but glaring daggers at the regent, almost growling as he made it perfectly clear that any marriage not of her own choosing, would result in hell being raised in the palace, Rin really made it sound like he would start a revolution over the issue too. 

Kou had noticed more and more conflicts between the two of them, and yet this was one of the few things where Rin refused to move even an inch. That was probably the only reason that she was still not engaged, and she was grateful to Rin for it. This didn't make it easier to see her brother so torn up though. 

Rin might just be a figurehead for now but he took his duties very seriously, and that the peace agreement and trade relations had not worked out and the military threat was hanging over their heads even more than before was causing him sleepless nights judging by the bags under his eyes and his moody attitude.

The only times he even tried to pull himself together anymore were diplomatic meetings and the times he spent swimming with his friends. 

He hadn't even sneaked out in forever, and Kou felt that that might be part of the problem. She had already talked it over with Nagisa and Ai, but they all seemed to agree that dragging Rin with his full schedule out at all was near impossible, not to speak of trying it when he wouldn't want to.

Nagisa had developed into a great ally to her, which was the reason she was waiting for him and Ai in the pavilion. They had been conspiring over helping Rin for a quite a while now. 

The blonde was actually the one getting closest because he kept the communication line between Rin and the others open, and Kou couldn't help but notice that Rin sometimes seemed a fraction more relaxed after a session with Nagisa. 

For the longest time she had thought getting laid was helping her brother, before she asked Nagisa about it, who laughed in her face before giving her a massage that explained everything. Ever since he became a source of relaxation for her as well for her brother, which was really impressive, seeing how his incessant talking could be very grating. 

However when he was “working” he seemed like a completely different person than the kid who had wheedled at least two dozen tarts from the kitchen to eat in a single afternoon on his own. Or had spent almost a month matchmaking one of the maids with one of the cooks by stalking them and practically blackmailing them into admitting their feelings for each other or jumped into their exotic animal garden with a tiger in it “to see what would happen!”

When he was dancing he seemed so lost in himself and the movement, and somehow older than he was. The same seemed to be true when he was interested in someone. Kou had never in her life seen someone flirt as aggressively as Nagisa.

Even before he had embarked on his first short sexual relationship with one of the palace guards he had made bed room eyes at plenty of people he found attractive, either for fun or to get something out of them. Personal space seemed to mean nothing to him in those instances, he was leaning on his object of affection, casually touching, fluttering his lashes and laughing at silly jokes. 

After that first relationship Kou had personally caught him getting frisky with one of her friends behind some curtains, and besides her knew about at least one other palace palace guard and four people from the city, some of whom had been patrons. 

About most of that she knew because Nagisa insisted on giving her and Ai the utmost detail concerning his exploits. And to their eternal shame, they both were enthralled by the raunchy stories. Even though they were blushing like crazy when Nagisa talked about what went where, or ways you could use your tongue or how useful flexibility and belly moves were when riding someone or thrusting into them, the curiosity won out over shame every time.

When they spotted the tell tale smirk on Nagisa's face that told them he had had some form of new sex, instead of running the other way they got some tea and tarts, sat down in the pavilion and let Nagisa's stories wash over their virgin selves.

Ai was bringing the food to her right now and settled in, informing her that Nagisa was still with Rin but would be here shortly. She could hear in Ai's voice that something was different today, but didn't press it. 

She didn't need to, it was obvious in Nagisa's skipping steps and the sunshiny expression on his face when he settled in front of them and started munching a tart at once. Either it actually took him a solid five minutes to realize he was stared at expectantly or he was drawing this out deliberately for effect.

In any case he smiled happily at them after gulping down a glass of peppermint tea. 

“I think I'm in love.”

Kou looked at Ai and saw his eyes widen the same moment. Nagisa had always spoken positively of his experiences with sex but he had never said something like that.

She felt her own voice splutter and heard the plate clutter as she leaned forward “Wha? With whom?” 

Nagisa's eyes took on a dreamy expression “I don't know the name, but damn, you should have seen him. He's tall and slim, just like I like them, great arms, was wearing reaally cute glasses and I think he came in with that group of students that always drinks too much. And he sat there all earnest looking and didn't drink with them at all. I thought he was just boring in the beginning, but when we locked eyes, I swear he blushed when he looked away. Now I bet he was just uncomfortable because all of that was new to him. Shy guys are so adorable, and blue hair, how rare is that? Soo attractive. Pity that his group was gone when I finally got rid of that lady, that's been wooing me for weeks.” He had fallen back into his characteristic mile a minute speech pattern and Kou blinked at him before laughing softly. 

“Student you say? I didn't think bookworms would be your type.” 

Nagisa was pouting at her “What are you saying? That I'm too dumb to appreciate an intelligent partner?” 

She grinned at him “Well, I've never seen you read a book at least.” 

The hurt in Nagisa's face was obviously pretend, they both knew Nagisa's knowledge of culture was limited to dancing and playing the lute and the flute. Even the conversations he had with his patrons called more for empathy and wit than for being well read. “I'll have you know that I can hold a conversation with anyone anytime. And if not I'll just wink at them and crawl in their lap.” He pointedly took another tart and bit into it.

Kou rolled her eyes before turning them to Ai who was blushing and had cleared his throat. “But you have no name, what are you going to do?” 

Nagisa's smile fell and he took on a pensive expression. “Hm, for now I guess I'll wait if he comes back soon. If not, his friends come by very regularly. I'll just ask them.” With that he shoved the rest of the tart into his mouth and chewed with a determined expression on his munching face. 

Kou sighed, not commenting on the terrible manners and turned the conversation back to the actual point they wanted to discuss: her brother. “So what are we going to do?” 

They had tried to come up with ways to help her brother out again and again, but nothing had seemed feasible, and today it seemed that they were finally out of ideas. 

That is until Ai's face lit up. “Maybe we should think differently. Your majesty...” 

Gou rolled her eyes at the silliness of that, they were listening to sex stories told by a brothel dancer together, and he was still not calling her by her name like she had asked. Her glare seemed to jog his memory however.

“I mean princ.. Kou. You said that Rin's stories from outside always brought you a lot of joy. Maybe you can do the same for him?” Ai looked hopeful, and it was a good idea.

Maybe she could find inspiration outside for something that could return some of Rin's motivation. The only problem was that she'd need to sneak out, and how was she going to do that? The regent wasn't paying as much attention to her as to Rin, but there still were eyes on her almost all the time.

Nagisa was grinning at her in a way that was suggesting all sorts of mischief, which could only mean he had a plan cooking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it, and yes it is Rei, and yes he will make his appearance soon.
> 
> I love me some reigisa, so they will be part of this story.
> 
> For those who were wondering, Nagisa is not quite 16 years old and both Ai and Gou are just a little bit older than him, with Ai being the oldest by a few months. So the sex Nagisa is having is in fact under age, but he is pretty much out of puberty or at least not prepubescent.
> 
> Among the older boys Rin is the oldest and Makoto the youngest


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn what Nagisa is up to in his free time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, I'm back
> 
> I passed with flying colours and now I am free!
> 
> FREEEEE! I tell you. At least until I have to find a job.
> 
> But for you, dear reader that means updates should be coming back in full force.
> 
> I give you this little offering of a Nagisa chapter with the knowledge that it's not beta'd yet. I'll do that over the course of tonight and the next few days.

Nagisa congratulated himself on his stellar decision making skills. 

It had been brilliant to offer his company to Rin, and get not only copious amounts of free time, but also the run of the palace. 

He had to avoid that crusty old regent of course, but with his abilities, figuring out the old man's schedule and sneaking around it was actually trivially easy. 

And the timing had been great too, as much as he enjoyed the attention (his sisters would say whored for it), being almost permanently looked at with lust had become pretty draining. 

Rin thankfully was so busy with flailing dramatically and making a show of his misery that sex wasn't anywhere on his mind, and while Nagisa did his best to lift the prince's spirits and didn't like to see him depressed, it was extremely relaxing to not be seen sexually for once by someone he got that close to physically.

Although Nagisa had to admit that with the red hair, the pointy teeth and that body toned by ever increasing training, Rin was quite something to behold, he wasn't exactly his type. Still, he moaned very prettily when the knots were being worked out of his tense shoulders and back. 

It was a pity Ai wouldn't take his offer in learning to do this for Rin, the attraction of the grey haired boy was painfully obvious and Nagisa sometimes thought that maybe Ai with his soft and apologetic ways might worm himself far enough into Rin's cocoon of teen age angst to kick his ass out of it. And who knew what kind of love could blossom from that.

Normally he would task Makoto with something like that, but lord knows Makoto had enough on his plate with two jobs, twins to raise and herding Haru, who seemed even moodier if not quite as depressed as he had been. 

The next choice would be Gou, who had told him, teary eyed, how close her and Rin used to be. It was heartbreaking to see how much she tried, but although Nagisa had seen her snare plenty of people with her astonishingly good manners, Rin just blocked her out even more than himself or Ai. Nagisa figured it was because he cared about her the most, and keeping her at arms length was a weird Rin thing born from weird Rin thoughts.

At least when Makoto and Haru made it to swimming Rin tried to control his emotions, but most of the time he just looked depressed, instead of the angry and depressed Nagisa had come to expect. He still didn't communicate what the issue was, but at least he wasn't short with them or barking all over the place. 

Ineffectual as he seemed to be at helping his friends, at least Nagisa had brought together a few of the servants. And if he had used somewhat unorthodox methods to do it, well, you can't make a marriage without threatening to spill life changing secrets. (She had regularly stolen from the kitchen, and he had had a fling with one of the regent's concubines) But now all was well with those two and Nagisa could set himself back to the task of helping his other friends out, because that was apparently his life now. 

That is until he was reminded that he had a libido of his own, and discovered that it would not forever be sated by throwing suggestive looks at people and giggling over their reaction. 

His first was a guard at the palace, Shinji, tall and slim, a bit on the shy side in the beginning, but with very nice brown eyes. Nagisa had flirted with him almost the entire time he “worked” at the palace, and on his 15th birthday, after he had begged and bribed and blackmailed 27 pomegranate tarts out of the head cook, (a lovely matronly woman, with two very friendly children and a gruff husband.) Shinji had waited for him after his shift. 

He had stuttered when he asked Nagisa if maybe they wanted to spend the evening together, stuttered, it had been so adorable and so sincere and Nagisa had complied. They had sat together with the tarts and a pot of tea in Shinji's room in the palace that he usually shared with another guy who was on leave or something. They had talked and Nagisa had twirled his hair like he often did, and smiled and laughed, and when he leaned in towards the young man, he had been really kissed for the first time. 

It had been magical, although he had clanked his teeth against Shinji's like an idiot, and his nose was in the way. They spent the better part of that night kissing, and it didn't take a week until they went much further.

Nagisa was so excited that he let his mouth run even farther away from him than usual, and in the aftermath he wondered if Makoto really needed to know the progress he was making on his deep-throating, or how fun it was to do the 69, how he enjoyed rimming, or how much the first time had hurt. Even with all sorts of proper preparation sitting down had been a pain in the ass (hehe) for a week straight. After a while it wasn't so much the excitement anymore as watching Makoto change colour and visibly struggle to control something. Maybe he was a sadist, but he could watch that forever.

His first relationship didn't last because there wasn't really something they had in common other than that they liked sex with the other. Nagisa wasn't too disappointed and they remained friends. 

The following months were spent really discovering what he enjoyed with quite a few people. Chigusa, one of Gou's friends, had been a sweet and gentle girl, and although Nagisa liked looking at her and her body felt sort of nice, and the experience of thrusting into someone was quite enjoyable it didn't carry the same thrill as being taken. 

She wasn't a virgin either and the diligence with which she pursued her study of culture and music, and the eagerness with which she learned massaging from him, suggested to him that she might work towards becoming either a concubine, of which there were quite a few in the noble district, or join the fertility priestesses, which were a more expensive but also more cultured and revered alternative to the entertainment in dancing houses and common brothels. They also offered herbal remedies and rituals to strengthen virility and fertility and dabbled in fortune telling. Nagisa knew that prices could become astronomical there quite quickly, so having a friend with those skills might come in handy, and he made an extra effort to remain friendly after they decided that the encounter wasn't for them. 

Another guard caught his eye, and his much rougher handling of Nagisa's own small body had it's own charm, but couldn't hold him for long. 

A lovely young widower came in as a patron and with his soft spoken ways and sad smiles moved Nagisa to the bottom of his soul. That night he used a private room for the first time, although he didn't charge anything. The poor man still returned occasionally for comfort and with his gentle ways Nagisa was very fond of him and gladly received him most of the time he asked. 

His second attempt with a woman turned out better than the first. She was in her mid twenties and obviously knew what she was doing with her hands and mouth, but since she didn't want to get pregnant the both of them settled for the occasional oral escapade and Nagisa thought they were both becoming better through that.

Another one that was particularly close to his heart was a shy virgin that walked in their dancing house and looked so skittish Nagisa thought he might run for it. He wasn't as attractive as Nagisa usually liked, superficial as he was, but he was funny and could carry a conversation well enough after a few drinks and a bit of warming up. Sex with a virgin was a lot of fumbling, and not half as enjoyable as regular sex, but the cuddling afterwards and the grateful look in the boy's eyes when he left in the morning was all the confirmation Nagisa needed that it still had been worth it. Even though that particular young man only ever came by to say hello and maybe flirt with a few of the larger guys, that were becoming a more permanent fixture in their repertoire. If Nagisa helped the poor thing out of a slump that night, not being the very first choice for sex wasn't so bad.

His most recent exploit had been a devastatingly handsome merchant in his thirties that Nagisa had to aggressively pursue in order to get what he wanted, which had been a quick and rough romp on the carpets in the back of the shop. He hadn't gone back for more yet, but he thought he might.

At least until the thing had happened. He had just gone on the stage and there he was, a perfect vision of everything Nagisa found attractive in a man. Unusual hair and eye colours, lean and tall, he even wore glasses, glasses for crying out loud. And as Nagisa was dancing, he just sat there, and said no to the booze and the hookah and the girls. Everything about his posture screamed 'uncomfortable'. It was a pity that the pretty ones often had a stick up their ass and not even the ability to enjoy it.

But Nagisa was taught better when he met with purple eyes, widening slightly, taking his shimmying hips in for just a second before looking away, blush prominent on his face. Oh lord, he was shy too, this was it, Nagisa was completely done.

Unfortunately a rather curvy lady blocked his view after that, and two encores as well as his abhorrent suitor, kept him from the object of his curiosity for too long and the group was already gone by the time he got to their table.

It really was a pity. But at least Ai and Gou were understanding the next day. The two of them were a captive audience to his little excursions into the world of pleasure, and although they blushed almost as bad as Makoto, they never looked like they would run away if it weren't so impolite. It was strangely thrilling that they liked to listen to him.

But his friends were in need, and he could put his own needs back a little. Gou looked at him sceptically while he cooked up his idea to completion, and then left the two of them there, with minimal information. He would take care of it, he just said, all mysterious and this project was fun already. 

But it would take quite a bit of planning to get Gou outside when most maids were primed to keep a close eye on her. If there was one thing Nagisa had learned in his time roaming the palace and waiting behind curtains it was that maids loved romance, even the smallest whiff and they would be so into it that influencing them became child's play. 

For his first move he needed to bring the rumour into the world that the princess was terribly in star-crossed love. And the lucky man to play the lover was easily envisioned. The thought of just what shade of red the hair of those children would be should grip the imagination in this palace like a wildfire.  
This should suffice to get everything cooking for the beginning, and in a few days he might have a look into the barracks to put stage two into action. 

But for today he went to give Rin his after noon massage, and then back home.

Unfortunately his blue-haired desire wasn't at the dancing house that night, or the next five. 

At least his rumour was spreading as intended and it was nothing but whispers of Gou's ill-fated romance in the corridors. 

Of course Gou and Ai found out, and the princess chewed him out pretty viciously for pulling something like this. Although her anger was dampened by the realisation that the maid who had spilled the beans had done so in full support and sworn under tears that she would do whatever was necessary to allow Gou to meet her lover in private, and that all the other maids thought so too. Ai just pragmatically went along with it, although Nagisa could sense scepticism, which was okay. Some people were just of little faith.

Nagisa was very happy with the progression of his plan and with a grin announced to the both of them, that stage one had been successful. Now they just needed lover boy on board. 

Gou glared at him for using that word, and he ignored her as he sauntered away. Some people just didn't understand.

After he had sneaked on the training ground (courtesy of Shinji's friendship) it was trivially easy to convince Seijuro of doing illegal things for his beloved, just like Nagisa had thought. The best part was, he could just tell the truth, because Sei was just as worried about Rin as the rest of them were and spending some quality time with the princess with the danger of being caught in their necks. Why, it was a hot-headed red heads delight. Sei even laughed heartily at what Nagisa had done to the maids to get them to cooperate, knowing full well that Gou didn't really know who he was. Yet. 

They just needed a date and the maids would certainly cover for them, it was the perfect plan, they even had a bodyguard with them for emergencies. They decided on four days down the line when Sei had a free day, so he wouldn't be missed and shook hands on it.

Nagisa would have called this a successful day, even if he hadn't seen the blue hair he had fantasized about in the audience when he took his place on the stage. This time he was being watched closely, analytical eyes on him for his whole routine, and not a single blush to be found. If he weren't a professional he would pout at that, but the night was young and his mark was right there. 

After he was finished he left the stage a lot quicker than he usually would and dodged offers and compliments with a lot more determination than on any other day until he sank down right next to his target, leaning in his personal space with half lidded eyes. “Hey.” 

Ah, there was that blush, and then the glance to the side, breathing deeply. “Hello.” 

“I'm Nagisa, and you were staring at me Mister.” he figured shaking the guy up a bit might be fun, if nothing else. 

It worked like a charm too, that scandalized yet guilty face that snapped towards him was adorable yet hilarious.”I was not!” 

Oh, that was just delicious. “Yes, you were, least you can do is give me your name.” 

He looked away again. “What would you need that for, pray tell?” 

Okay, now he was pouting, but he made sure to keep it cute. “Maybe I liked your staring and wanted to get to know you.” 

That colour was amazing, even Makoto hadn't literally looked like a beet yet. “I do not appreciate games, _Nagisa._ ” 

Should he be getting turned on by that emphasis? Because fuck if he wasn't. He crawled a bit further to look into the stranger's eyes again, now almost sprawling over his lap, and cheering internally when he wasn't pushed away. He put his best puppy expression on, it wasn't quite as brilliant as Makoto's in itself, but in combination with his face it was a lethal weapon. “I'd never play games with _you._ Unless you wanted me too.” He added slyly and enjoyed the deepening of the blush. 

It took a while for his victim to compose himself before he sighed and softly pushed Nagisa back into his own pillow. Nagisa was almost starting to pout in disappointment before the other opened his mouth again. “My name is Rei.” he said softly, but Nagisa understood clearly. 

Was it just him or was the name resonating in his head perfectly fitted to the slow elegant piece the musicians were playing on the stage?

Rei, Rei, Rei... he could repeat that name forever. But right now once might just be enough. 

“Well then, it's nice to meet you, _Rei_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contrived? Maybe. 
> 
> Something Nagisa would do, given the opportunity? I think so, but you decide.
> 
> Also I love me some slutty Nagisa, and I described his experiences because I wanted to show that he actually cared about all of them, even if it didn't work out.
> 
> If you enjoyed, you know what to do.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rei learns how beautiful a distraction can be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back and I'm punctual yet again!
> 
> And yes, Rei is here and he gets his own chapter.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

With a sigh Rei wondered what had brought him into this mess. The answer was sitting all around him, laughing, drinking and behaving just abominably to the poor women working here. It must have been terribly degrading to be looked at with such uncouth lust by shamelessly drunk patrons. 

He knew he was supposed to respect his seniors, and in manners of study he did. But why they enjoyed visiting such pits of vice he would never understand. They had pestered him for ages to go out with them, saying that he should “pull that stick out of his ass before it fused with his spine.” It had been most vulgar and unpleasant, but there were only so many ways he could politely refuse the older students, and to sink into incivility himself would be the last straw.

Unfortunately their ribbing didn't stop after they had brought him to this infernal place of sin, on the contrary, the longer they sat there, the more they poked him in the ribs, pointing out attractive girls and egging him on to approach one of them in pursuit of intercourse. 

It was frankly ridiculous. He was only 15, there need not be a rush to give in to his more base instincts. Particularly because his studies were taking up so much of his schedule, that he barely had time to even acknowledge his needs, let alone fulfil them himself. Finding or procuring a willing partner seemed just like a waste of time in light of that.

His seniors didn't seem to care and the more they drank the more they mocked him for abstaining from what was offered. At least the musicians were somewhat skilled. He only glanced at the dancers for a moment, before deciding that he wouldn't have a part in the demeaning bearing of the other patrons. And maybe he took a few more glances, just to be sure he was doing the right thing by abstaining. 

He was painfully jolted to the realisation that he was more than right when he recognised a boy dancing in the middle of the room. The blond boy had to be younger than himself, but his movements were those of an adult, pink eyes hooded in a sultry expression befitting someone much older, and hips shimmying perfectly to the fast beat of drums. 

As his cheeks were heating up he looked away, angry at himself and angry at a world that allowed a child to be stared at lustfully by depraved adults. He shuddered to think what else that boy already had been made to do. His companions were staring at the child too, and it disgusted him when they murmured among each other about how good this particular dancer, “Nagisa” as they called him, was. Kawamura seemed to finally notice that his discomfort had risen to near unbearable levels. He was always considerate and reminded the others that they couldn't stay too long today because they had a morning lecture with Master Sawada, who was rather strict. 

Rei was grateful to him and gulped down deep breaths of air minutes later, after they had made it outside. On the whole way back to the academy pink eyes wouldn't leave him alone. 

~

After a week those eyes were still haunting him. To his shame they mostly visited him in his dreams, same as those swaying hips. He had to touch himself that week more often than in his whole prior life and loathed himself for it.

It was maddening, but day after day it was becoming clearer that he would not be able to properly concentrate on his studies before he got the boy out of his thoughts. 

A second visit at that sinful place was obviously in order. He was convinced that if he took a real proper look it would become obvious that there wasn't anything so distracting there, that it was just another dancer, worse, a child. It had to be just his imagination that made the memory enticing enough to distract him away from his very important learning, he was convinced.

In the evening he found himself back at the table with his seniors who were mocking him for coming back, for not having had enough. It was preposterous of them to think something so far removed from the truth. 

He was here to settle the matter once and for all, and to that end it was rather helpful that _Nagisa_ came out on the stage pretty early.

This time he would not be swept up in the weirdly enticing atmosphere, he would analyse the situation and work through his situation with the observed information. And so he watched the whole routine and however much he disagreed with the thing itself, _Nagisa_ was a skilled dancer. 

He was in perfect harmony with the music and his muscles were working skilfully, dare Rei think beautifully together. Taking a closer look he realised that the boy most likely was older than he had first thought, at least there were indications in the slim body that it was undergoing puberty, even if it wasn't quite finished yet. Pink eyes met his a couple of times and there was a flirtatious smile on the feminine lips. Rei wasn't perturbed by it, doing that probably was part of the job description, everyone got such smiles in this kind of establishment, and _he_ wasn't flattered by it.

After this dance was over he was satisfied and turned back to his companions who were still looking toward the stage discussing if they should try and wave the young dancer over. The pointless talk died down quickly until their mouths dropped the same second Rei felt someone invading his personal space. When he turned his head innocent pink eyes were staring up at him.

The conversation that followed was an exercise in frustration. He was not used to being flirted with and felt his face heat up the more suggestive the other's voice became. He even gave his name without understanding himself which djinn had possessed him to do it. 

When the blonde repeated his name like he was tasting it on his tongue he felt himself shudder. He really didn't understand what the point of this was. The boy bantered with him in soft voices and his eyes would go from seductively lidded to wide and childishly expressive as he asked questions and Rei answered as shortly as he possibly could without being terribly rude. He didn't approve of Nagisa's occupation, but he was still a person, and polite enough to boot (if you were willing to ignore the dozen or so attempts to crawl in Rei's lap.) He suspected this was a ploy to get him into an expensive night of debauchery, but if it was the boy was good enough at hiding his intentions. Rei felt genuinely listened to when he talked about the academy and his teachers.

Nagisa didn't even interrupt him when he started on a lecture of his studies into irrigation engineering. The topic really was so interesting and important too looking at the spreading draught. Former studies had shown that there probably still was plenty of water in lower levels of the ground. He wanted to really learn all there was to know about it, and if he knew enough maybe he could contribute a way to get to the water or even get it up to ground level. 

Rei only noticed that he had lost himself in technicalities and was babbling when Kawamura boxed him in the back. As he came back to himself he looked into an astonished face, pink eyes round and lovely mouth opened in a small o-shape. How embarrassing. He felt his face heat up all other again and adjusted his glasses, looking away. 

But of course he didn't get the moment for himself, instead a cheery face was in front of him again. “Then what you do is really important right? That's amazing!” It was so sincere and sweet that he was too taken aback to even blush, at first at least. 

He spent a lot longer at the Quartz Cobra than he thought he would that night. Nagisa stayed with their group and cheerily entertained all of them, and although the talk was mostly superficial Rei enjoyed himself, even laughing out loud sometimes. It was impressive that Nagisa managed to handle the drunks so well, entertaining them and still staying cleverly out of reach of the really touchy ones. 

When they went home it was long past midnight and Rei had to admit that he had maybe misjudged this dancing house at least. Although it was very annoying being ribbed about his "catch" by the older boys and congratulated as if he had bedded Nagisa. The thought made him blush, but a small part of him was maybe a tiny bit proud to have caught the attention of someone so popular.

The following weeks he made a habit out of visiting Nagisa in the evenings when he could not work through a problem. Strangely enough he felt like studying had become easier, instead of harder with this distraction. But that might also have been because Nagisa always listened attentively when he tried to explain the problem he was having. It was obvious from his expression that the blonde didn't understand everything he said, but he asked a lot of questions. Most of them were trivial, but sometimes they opened an avenue for him to take a perspective he hadn't had before. 

Sometimes Nagisa would become bored with his studies and wander of to socialise with other patrons, or do an extra dance routine if it was demanded, but after alleviating his boredom he often came back to Rei, bringing him something (non-alcoholic) to drink or a little something to eat. 

He never would have thought that he could enjoy the company of a pretty face as much as he did now. He even had gotten a bit used to Nagisa snuggling up to his side or smaller fingers dancing on his hand when it lay on the table. It still made him blush and often felt a bit too intimate, but a part of him thought that being close to this beautiful creature was worth a bit of discomfort. 

He even felt somewhat special when he noticed that Nagisa was not, as he had originally thought, bestowing this kind of attention on just anyone. 

Unfortunately after a while he learned that, while he wasn't just any patron, he was not unique. One evening, about a month after he had started coming regularly a finely dressed merchant walked in like he owned the place, and although many dancers swarmed him, he only looked for Nagisa, waving the boy over from his place next to Rei and pulling him into a passionate kiss right there. It was quite indecent but Nagisa just giggled and pulled the man up the stairs, without another look at Rei. 

There really was no need to be so annoyed and _hurt_ at what he knew was going on upstairs right now. Und just like that he couldn't concentrate anymore, other questions than those about water and pipes swarming his mind. 

Was Nagisa selling his body?

Who was that man? 

What would the blonde sound and look like when...

This was definitely going to far! 

Rei paid his stay and hurried back to his dorm room. But sleep wouldn't come for a long time that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fingers typing comments make me very happy, so does a mouseclick on the Kudos button. 
> 
> So if you want to show a bit of appreciation for my writing, there you go.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kisumi reappears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, i'm back late, but I'm back. 
> 
> I can no longer promise consistent updates, since I'm looking for work and the process is eating most of my energy, concentration, creativity and a decent chunk out of my soul.
> 
> But I can offer this little chapter and hope you enjoy it.

You would not believe the amount of water one saves at home by cleaning up at one's customers. 

Or at least, so Kisumi thought while cleansing himself thoroughly. It had been quite a while since he started his little _side business_ , but sometimes he still felt dirty afterwards. 

Not that he didn't enjoy himself as much as his spinsters and widows, even though he personally would rather sleep with men, but that was no reason to come home to his little brother smelling of strange women. 

He pushed his damp hair back and left the little wet room that really didn't deserve the name. 

The lovely Yuki was just cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast and he kissed the crown of her head, sneaking his arms around her waist. 

She wasn't terribly attractive with her plain face, dull eyes and less than ideal figure, but she also was one of the sweetest women he knew, and even now as she smiled up at him, the curve of her lip was a lot more shrewd than her looks otherwise would suggest. It really was no wonder that she had been married and her two children were running around somewhere in the town right now.

“Oh you, get out of here, I know you don't want to hang around an old bat like me.” He sighed, she sounded playful, but he knew there were real self-esteem issues under that cheery attitude. 

“That's so cold of you, you know I like spending time with you.” he gave his voice just a little whine, for some reason older women really liked that. 

She turned around to him, smirk now full-blown, before slightly pushing him away and shuffling over to the table to clean it. “Well, if that is so, you could stop charging me an arm and a leg.” Oh, lovely Yuki, no patience for romance, no nerve for illusions, but considering the situation that probably was for the best, it certainly was the easiest way to do business.

“I have to live too, you know?” he whined but started getting dressed after picking up the clothes he had discarded next to the bed earlier. 

She turned to him with half a smile. “I know that, dear, greet your brother from me, alright? Your pay is on the counter.” 

He grabbed the coins, and on the way out blew the woman a kiss. It was still pretty early, so he could maybe do one or two relaxed deliveries and still be punctual for work and he might even get to catch up with Makoto, something he hadn't had time to do in literal years. 

His new routine was much more comfortable than the years of scrambling for every menial job he could find to earn enough money for himself, his brother and his father, who spent all his own money on his _habit_. 

He visited one of his ladies on his own time in the morning, then delivered some of the jewellery that had initially brought him to their door step, and get paid for that too before going to work. Nowadays there even was freetime again, unlike directly after his mother's death when he had done overtime at the pottery shop and used all his freetime for deliveries to pay the lady from the neighbourhood that took care of his brother and breastfed him alongside her own baby. 

But now Hayato wasn't that much of a baby anymore, and while he still needed taking care of, he now could just play with his friends and be safe free of charge, or at least Kisumi only contributed a little money for his meals. The only thing worrying him on that front was that his brother often seemed painfully shy. Ultimately no one really could fill the hole of their missing mother, and sometimes it really showed.

Nevertheless it was shaping up to be a good life again, even though he felt like this little side business shouldn't be part of it for a lot longer. At the same time it had allowed him to actually rake up a bit in savings that he could effectively hide from his father's pathetic hands, so he wasn't complaining. 

Of course, at the beginning it had been weird, sleeping with strange women for money, but as it turned out, he was pretty good at it and lonely widows and spinsters paid really well. Of course it helped that he was so stunningly handsome, but that was beside the point. 

He stretched languidly as he came to the jeweller and took his charge and the addresses. One of the customers turned his face into a frown. She had been the only one he had made terrible experiences with, and the main reason he could recognize red flags in a potential customer from a mile away.

But work was work and with a sigh he trudged onwards to the merchant quarters and dropped of the jewellery, collecting the pay and tuning out the earful he had to let wash over himself. At least she didn't insist on making public scenes anymore.

He dropped the money off, received his portion and hurried back to the pottery shop where he went to work in the back almost immediately. He was no good at the actual craft itself, but he was decent at doing the inventory work, sums and selling so he mostly spent his days directly in the shop. For the longest time he hadn't even been able to take breaks because the owner had been sick, and he had had to organize the shop almost on his own. It still irked him that he had accepted a rather meagre increase in pay for all the extra work, but he had been a mere child, way to easily exploitable. 

But for a while now the owner seemed to be recovering. He worked more again, and Kisumi was terribly bored during his newly discovered breaks even though he enjoyed them in theory.

Fortunately he had a plan to spend his break for today. Makoto seemed to be back to normal, from what he could see going on across the street and a few shops down, anyway. In the last few years they hadn't really talked. In the beginning Kisumi had tried but Makoto had been so busy with his own thoughts (and not nodding off from the look of his face) that the only thing he really registered were customers. He was still unyieldingly polite (yet uncharacteristically merciless when it came to haggling), but Kisumi didn't think that Makoto really remembered any interaction from that time that wasn't strictly related to performing his job properly.

And then his own life had been so chaotic that he had pretty much given up and tried to sort himself out, but now, with the air cleared, well it would be a shame not to pick up that friendship where he had left it off. Most especially when he looked at those very impressive shoulders that he could recognize even from his not so ideal vantage point under the shop awning. Damn, all that lifting Makoto had been doing to earn his extra money really was doing a lot for him.

He also still had that shy, boyish demeanor, Kisumi could see from where he stood that the other wasn't standing quite as confidently as his impressive height would suggest. His pose was always placating, almost submissive, but it made him a very successful seller if the looks on the customers faces, and the copious amount of cloth that left the little shop were anything to go by.

Kisumi himself wasn't a slob either when it came to selling, although his technique was more charming and seductive than friendly and accommodating to the point of manipulation. He had seen Makoto turn around a screaming unhappy customer into buying another roll of cloth and a new carpet at double the price of whatever thing he had returned. How exactly that worked Kisumi didn't know, but maybe years of dealing with Haru had given Makoto subtle mind control powers.

He also would have to find out what had happened with Haru over the years, he used to come by all the time when they were younger, but now Kisumi hardly ever saw him, and if black hair appeared in his vision it usually only was to drop a small package in Makoto's hands and turn back home on his heel immediately. The consequent happy energy in Makoto's step wasn't lost on him however, so he at least knew that those two were as close as ever. 

It always had been immense fun to rile Haru up, mostly because it was insanely easy to do. Just touch Makoto and a pissed look will surely follow. Maybe that _had_ been a bit mean of him, but fond as he was of Haru (and he really, really was), the entertainment factor in annoying him was just too great. Standing in the shop he sighed wistfully, he really missed the times they had spent together on Makoto's roof and playing in the streets. There came a lull of customers and Kisumi used it to indulge in memories of ball games and sweet apricots, the laughter of the children they used to be before life happened to them. 

After another glut of activity his break was finally here and until then he had decided to make a first step toward a few happy adult memories with his old friends. Accordingly he hurried to Makoto's stand, noting the figurines in a corner where they seemed a bit out of place in passing. 

“Hey, Makoto!” He greeted in his usual cheer, and oh, that confused look when Makoto turned around was very attractive, and up close those _shoulders_. Maybe he wasn't interested in rekindling a _friendship_ after all. But recognition dawned too quick on Makoto's face to allow some more ogling.

“Kisumi, it has been ages!” Literally, yes. “How've you been?” Mother died, father drinks, I couldn't take care of a baby but prostitution really pays well enough to save my ass.

He grinned broadly “Oh, I get along, you should know that! How's your life going?” Makoto smiled at him tiredly and brought him up to date. He could sympathize with Makoto's tired face, and a keen sense of kinship tugged at his heart strings. Makoto with his siblings probably understood better than most what had been going through.

It was good to hear that Haru was doing well too, and that the Tachibana style fabrics were not going to go out of production. Kisumi had greatly admired them whenever he visited, and they really had a special place in this town.

From what he gathered their situation had relaxed quite a bit as well, at least financially. Way too soon his break would be over, and only just now he really felt the hunger to really talk to old friends again, maybe dig up a bit more of the kid he used to be. Thankfully Makoto was the sweetest person this side of the great river.

“Why don't you come to dinner today? Haru always makes more than enough, you can bring your brother too if you want to. And then we could catch up properly.”

Perfect Makoto, with his lovely offer. how was a simple creature like Kisumi to say now to such a sweet invitation? “Yes, of course. I certainly have nothing better to do.” 

He hurried back after throwing his arm around Makoto in good bye. The rest of the day he spent in anticipation, and when he whirled into his neighbour's house like a fresh breeze to collect his brother he hugged the woman, even though she usually wasn't terribly nice to him, before hurrying to Makoto's house with the little boy, explaining on the way that they were going to visit friends of his. 

Hayato hid his face in his leg when Haru opened the door. Inside it smelled delicious, as good as when Yuki cooked for her children. And the eyes that stared him down were the same annoyed blue orbs that had greeted him when they were children. 

There was just a tiny difference, everything attached had become _hot_. Maybe his friends really had changed a lot since they were children, or maybe he had had ridiculously good taste as a child, but damn, his friends were sexy. Even Haru trying to burn a hole in his face with his eyes, didn't really change the very positive impression he had looking down at the other man. 

The extended silence was getting uncomfortable however, particularly because his attempt at throwing an arm around Haru's shoulder und two tries at starting a conversation had already been rebuffed. For a second he wondered if Makoto had really announced him. Then the brunet appeared in the corridor, looking scandalised, then apologetic before he very gently nudged Haru to the side enough that they could come in. 

“Haru, don't be rude!” that reproachful yet affectionate voice was adorable. Haru only huffed and turned, shuffling off in the direction of the delicious smells.

Makoto looked after him with an exasperated sigh. “Sorry about that, he is in a bit of a mood today, they raised the price for additional water rations again.” Kisumi was once again grateful that he didn't need extra rations as a rule. He just nodded and looked down at Hayato who didn't seem comfortable. 

“You must be Hayato, my name is Makoto.” He squatted down low enough to be almost level with Hayato, who actually peeked out behind his brother's pants to see where the nice voice was coming from. “Hello.” he sounded timid, but at least he talked. He really was a big brother and Kisumi felt himself smile over the memories of his announcement that he would be too.

“I'm a big brother too, do you want to see what toys my siblings play with after dinner?” Kisumi felt himself being lulled in by the gentle voice. Apparently it worked for Hayato too because he let go of Kisumi's pants and they followed Makoto into the living room where the food was laid out on the table, looking delectable even though the dishes were simple and inexpensive. The Tachibana twins, a lot older than he remembered, Makoto and Haru were already seated.

This was promising to be a rather nice evening, and Kisumi really was looking forward to it when he sat down with his brother and thanked his hosts for having them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I freaking love Kisumi, ok. 
> 
> There is not enough fiction out there that does not make Kisumi some sort of villain, and I will try to contribute a bit of love for Kisumi.
> 
> If you enjoyed, Kudos and Comments help me gather together the pieces of dignity you lose applying for jobs that you don't really want and that you still probably aren't going to get. 
> 
> Have a great day!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which princess Kou gets out for a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus, I'm LATE. 
> 
> Sorry about that, and about the probably lacking quality of this update. Don't be too harsh please, I realize there is probably tons of problems with it but I needed to get _something_ finished before I go crazy. 
> 
> Looking for jobs sucks. 
> 
> That being said, I like the idea of this chapter, but I fear the execution ran away from me a bit because my concentration is shot to shit. Continuity errors and other such mistakes as well as a good bit of redundancy might have been the consequence. Someday I would like to go back and straighten all of it out for a better story, but for now this is how it is going to be. I hope it's alright that I use the story less to bring you something interesting and more to calm my nerves today.
> 
> I hope you still can somewhat enjoy it for what it is. If not, well...

Training had been exhilarating as usual, but Seijuro didn’t really dwell on it as he made his way out of the barracks pool, drying off quickly and whistling a happy tune. He would get to see the princess today. And not just gawk like a love struck puppy from a distance, today they would actually talk. 

It was the opportunity of a lifetime to finally get to know the beautiful girl that had caught his eye years ago, first with her cuteness but then more and more with the kindness she showed everyone she came into contact with. His father had often spoken highly of the former King and Queen’s friendliness, and obviously both Rin and Kou had inherited that trait, although Rin had become a bit of a dick over the years: moody, surly and aggressive when things didn’t go his way. 

Sei would know all about that, after all he was the one who trained with Rin most of the time, and that way he had an excellent view of the prince’s anger issues. It was a pity too, because he was actually pretty talented, a lot more than he could show at least. His issues and fear of failing really stood in the way of improvement. Particularly because he had overcome the wall he hit a few years back when he had seemed just incapable of growing any sort of usable muscle mass. There really was no reason to still be this insecure about his physical development today, but Sei figured it was a byproduct of the other problems the flamboyant blonde and Ai had told him about.

He pushed the thought aside for a moment and got dressed with extra care, making sure to pick something that wasn’t wrinkled and made him as attractive as possible, maybe he could even impress The princess. Sei didn’t have particular illusions about being able to marry her someday, he really wasn’t high enough in the food chain for that, but his father had taught him that a man always did his all in following his ambitions. The advice had served him well until now and he didn’t see why it wouldn’t in this case. 

There still was a bit of time judging by the sun and he used it to look in on his little brother who was still in training. The boy was coming along nicely, and all on his own, because Sei certainly wasn’t giving him preferential treatment and their father never would do such a thing. 

It filled his heart with fiery pride to watch his brother dive and dodge and return attacks so skillfully, although he was still too reckless and occasionally got knocked on his ass for not paying enough attention. Nevertheless at least he had passion, that was one of the most important things.

With a proud nod he ripped himself away and walked in the direction of the palace where Nagisa wanted them to meet in a wheat chamber. The blonde was more punctual than he would have thought and sat waiting on a ball of straw, happy grin on his face and seemingly lost in thought, but as Sei approached pink eyes shot towards him and he swore he saw a mischievous glint in them. The small boy jumped from the straw and practically floated over to him pulling him into a very unmanly hug, which he still returned because it seemed very genuine. “You are here! Perfect. Now we just need Kou!”

Sei felt his heart jump when he heard light steps, three people, maybe the subject of his desire was among them. Nagisa hopped over to the door and ushered the three lithe figures in. One of them was Ai small and nervous looking, the other one was Kou’s handmaiden and the last was draped out in commoner travel clothing with a shawl over her hair but he recognized the young woman from the expressive maroon eyes and suddenly his heart was in his throat. Even more so when their eyes locked and she _smiled ___at him.

_He was really a lot deeper in this than he had thought. From the corner of his eye he saw the maid giggle before she whispered in her mistress’ ear, squeezing her hand encouragingly and running off. The princess huffed in the most adorable way after the door closed behind her maid and the light blush dusting her cheeks was the most beautiful thing Sei had ever seen._

_He composed himself, straightened his back and walked over to the young woman and when she noticed him he bowed slightly before smiling his most winning smile at her. “You are as beautiful as ever princess.” She seemed a bit perplexed, looked away to think for a moment before returning his smile and sending his heart aflutter. “Thank you very much for doing this, I know it must be an inconvenience and dangerous to boot.” Sei would reassure her that he felt like she had already repaid him for a dozen more of the same, but that might come off a little too desperate so he kept his mouth shut._

_“It is an honor to serve you, in this as in everything else.” He said instead, and really liked how gallant it sounded. The princess just nodded in her sweet way and a moment later they were both pulled towards the exit by Nagisa’s small hands._

_A look at the exasperated face of the princess reassured him that he made the right decision. This day was already worth it.  
~  
Kou felt just a bit guilty about the whole thing. _

_Initially she didn’t believe this thing could work out, seeing as inordinate amounts of gossip and people were involved she had been sure someone would give the whole show away. Apparently she had underestimated what Nagisa called “the servants’ resilience”, at least it seemed that no one had noticed when they slipped out unhindered through a servant’s entrance. Her in a commoner travel dress, that scratched pretty bad if she was honest, Nagisa who pulled her along, Ai trailing after them and keeping look out._

_And of course there also was the red-headed son of the army commander, Seijuro Mikoshiba, the reason for her guilt (aside from lying to half the palace, if only by omission) walking next to her through the dull streets. She had seen him before of course, but it was a bit uncomfortable that he had obviously taken a liking to her from a distance. Although she should be used to courting behavior by now it always made her feel strange, even though it certainly wasn’t because of the young man’s looks._

_His clothes left his arms exposed and if the rest was anything like those muscled bundles of bliss she would very much enjoy to take a peek on the rest of him for a few good night fantasies. Maybe she should observe training sometime, if only for that reason alone. On the other hand she really wasn’t interested in pursuing anything with anyone, so giving the poor guy hope seemed to be in poor taste, although that already probably was out of the window with Nagisa in the mix, who loved match making too much for his own good._

_She really should concentrate on the city though. Her brother used to tell her all sorts of stories about the times he had snuck out during the years when he could still get away with being lost for hours at a time. Being outside now she didn’t really understand yet. It was mostly dull and brown, nothing like the beauty her brother had described, although she had to admit that the mass of people just going about their day was rather overwhelming._

_Suddenly she felt Mikoshiba softly grab her arm and pull her to his side very gently, moments before she would have been run into by a few boys who now barreled past her, screeching with laughter. It felt weird, something like this would never happen in the palace, but now she was just one of many, nothing special._

_The realization must have shown on her face because Mikoshiba asked very gently if she was alright. With a smile she nodded and looked after the boys. Mentally she commended his excellent reflexes.  
Nagisa, meanwhile was leading them through the weaving streets, drawing all of the looks in his dancer’s hues. It was reassuring that no one would so much as look at her with Nagisa there as a bright pink beacon. He was giving her the rundown of the city all the way, talking about the places, about the people and about the things her brother and his friends had done when they were children. _

_The further they went the more she recognized hardship, it was obvious that water was tight in the dirty clothes and parched looking animals, and the haggard faces of many people spoke of difficulties she couldn’t begin to fathom._

_But not everywhere seemed so bleak, some parts of the city, if not green, were at least well taken care of, and people seemed more carefree and a little less stressed. Into one of these neighbourhoods Nagisa was leading them, saying that they would visit Haru in the Tachibana house. Kou was almost sure from what he brother had told her that Haru wasn’t a Tachibana, but her brother had told her a lot about how close Makoto and Haru were, and although she never talked with them too much she had observed not only their very nice bodies but also their very close friendship._

_Soon they were in front of the door and Nagisa called out to a figure on the roof. Blue eyes peeked over the edge but the door was opened by a little girl, maybe 10 years old, who happily greeted Nagisa and after a quick once-over ushered them into a corridor stuffed with fabrics and then into a modest living room where Haru seemed to be already waiting._

_Blue eyes scanned them and landed on Nagisa, reproach clear in them. The blonde stopped his attempt at a hug and instead lifted his hands placating. “We have a reason, Haru. A mission in fact, we want to help Rin.”_

_With a sigh and a tone much more gentle than she would have expected from the stoic Haru he asked the little girl, Ran, to leave. After she was gone Haru gestured them to sit and offered them tea. The boys settled down and Kou removed the scarf around her hair._

_Nagisa was filling the air with chatter for the sake of chatter, Ai looked very serious yet nervous and Sei looked at the same time amused and down to do business, although he wasn’t really that easy to read if she was honest._

_Haru was just quiet as he sat down the tea before them and sat down at the table as well. “What do you want with me then? I don’t know what to do about Rin.”_

_Nagisa pouted at him “You always had that really passionate rivalry! Maybe we can rekindle that? Are you sure you don’t know something, he always liked you most between all of us!”_

_Haru sighed looking away. “I never asked for that. Besides, Rin doesn’t talk, not even to Makoto.” The sour look on his face suggested there was more going on there but that was beside the point.  
Maybe she should say something. “Please think really hard, we need _something._ He’s getting worse, someone needs to get some sense into him but he won’t even see me anymore if it’s not for breakfast!” _

_Haru looked directly at her and she saw in his eyes that he was worried too, worried and as helpless as they were. “I don’t know how to help. I never even really understood why he kept wanting to come here.” His frustration was palpable. Kou could relate as she never really understood it either. But maybe that _was_ helpful. Maybe that was what they needed to understand. Maybe she needed to find out what had motivated her brother back then to give him some of that energy back now._

_“He must have told you something about why he kept coming out! Mikoshiba, you should know something too, my brother always spoke so highly of you and you spent so much time training together.” She realized that she might have been a little forceful as she noted the looks the boys were giving her and looked down at her hands “I just want him to be happy again.”_

_“It’s alright to be passionate about that, you know?” She hadn’t thought Mikoshiba could sound so soft. When she looked up Nagisa was nodding vigorously “We all want to help Rin!” Haru looked at her deep in thought. “He said something when we first got him out. I don’t remember all of it, but it was along the lines that he wanted to really know the city so he could be a good ruler. Makoto probably remembers more.”_

_The next moment Nagisa had thrown his arms around Haru. “See, you could help, Haru!” Kou stifled a laugh at Haru’s miffed expression and exasperated sigh. “He is at work right now, I wanted to bring him lunch anyway so we can go together.”_

_With that the conversation seemed to be over and they finished their tea while Haru untangled himself from Nagisa’s limbs and packed up a simple but tasty looking dish. Nagisa looked at it approvingly and sighed. “I wish someone would bring me lunch, Makoto is really lucky.” Kou might be hallucinating but there seemed to be a probing edge to the blond boy’s voice, then again it might just be Nagisa being himself. Haru didn’t even deign to react and soon they were on their way._

_The entertainment district looked a lot more like what her brother had described with the colorful fabrics and the nice smells everywhere, although there seemed a lot more drunks around than in her brother’s stories. It still was pretty beautiful and exciting to walk over the market with everyone else, for once a regular person. Or as regular as she could feel with Mikoshiba’s towering presence next to her. She might just imagine it, but he did seem a bit tense._

_She definitely should take a closer look at everything here in an effort to get what her brother was trying to achieve. That would need to be later though, at least if they wanted to keep up with Haru who hurried along the stands with sure steps. Where he was going was pretty obvious, seeing as Makoto with his broad back and tall stature was easy to recognize. When they arrived at his stand he was busy fending off older ladies cooing over him. It was impressive how well-mannered he was, she had been trained all her life to be pleasant and sweet, but to Makoto it seemed to come naturally. The many rolls of cloth he effortlessly handed over to the ladies’ servants and the impressive sums of money he received in return, some of which were tips judging by the boy’s bashful thanks, at least spoke of excellent sales abilities._

_Haru stood by waiting patiently until the last lady was served and the brunet told how nice a boy he was for the last time. Makoto used the moment to take a deep breath and put the money away before Nagisa almost jumped over the counter with a shout of “Mako!”_

_The tall figure shrank for a second in surprise before straightening again and greeting Nagisa with a smile. Then his eyes wandered over to them where they seemed surprised at the line up before settling on his best friend with an even fonder smile “Haru, hello.” Haru just nodded in acknowledgement and handed over the food, which lit up Makoto’s face like the sun. “Thank you!”_

_Haru nodded in acknowledgement again and there was the slightest of smiles and after a few rather awkward seconds of them communicating with their eyes Haru nodded in their direction and Makoto scanned them more closely, seemingly recognizing her. His face was surprised but he led them inside where she was offered the only chair while the boys settled on and against shelves. Nagisa explained the situation with his motor mouth, eliciting a glare from her. She could well speak herself!_

_Makoto didn’t seem to notice and just nodded. “I remember that day yes. Your brother was so passionate; it was really impressive.” He smiled and Kou instantly liked him more. “Even before he wanted to know everything and he was so happy that day because he could learn about the people he would be responsible for. He really asked about everything, we were on the graveyard, and visited our houses, even Nagisa’s home.” He blushed and Nagisa called him a prude with a soft laugh. “I was a child!” Makoto defended with mild annoyance before sighing wistfully. “I think back then he was hopeful that he could make things better here, I guess reality didn’t really match up with his expectations. Not that he would tell me. I think he tried a while ago to tell me something but whatever he wanted to say didn’t really get out. He would just skulk around looking lost in his head, and for a few weeks he’s been actually aggressive when I tried to talk to him about anything.” Haru made an unhappy noise and Makoto smiled at him calmingly. “It’s not so bad, Haru. He is under a lot of stress, knowing that he will be responsible in a few months can’t be easy.”_

_Haru didn’t seem placated as he looked to the side, silent. Kou sighed and looked around between the boys who all seemed lost in thought until Ai piped up. She instantly felt bad for almost having forgotten that he was there at all. “Maybe we should get together some stuff that will remind him of that time! I mean, I wasn’t really there back then but there has to be some things that he liked back then right?”_

_“He enjoyed listening to my parents about the fabrics, he seemed really fascinated by the craft. I think he liked a green one in particular. Maybe you can make some for him Haru!” Haru looked up surprised but nodded._

_“He was also really fascinated by the graveyard; we could give him something from there.” Nagisa offered. Kou looked at him in distaste “Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” “Why? A bit of earth from an important place promises good luck!”_

_“He told me he wanted to see it because his nanny was buried on one like it.” Makoto supplied. “I think it could work, maybe we could put the earth in a piece of pottery, remember the reddish ones with the wave patterns? He was crazy about those.”_

_“His old practice sword should still be around; we could gift him that too.” Sei said, his face pondering._

_Nagisa now seemed to be really waking up, “Oh, oh, we should all put something personal in too, to remind him of his friends! Something that means something to us and to him! I still have an old veil, he used to want to touch it all the time, and said it was pretty although I hated it!”_

_Makoto looked thoughtful “I guess I could return the necklace with the claws to him, he gave it to me because I thought it was so interesting, although I didn’t really wear it because it’s kind of creepy. Do you have an idea, Haru?”_

_Haru looked to the side and his whole body language was saying no. “I guess you can still think on it” Makoto added pleasantly.  
Sei looked at her with a smile “I have that old sword and somewhere I still have the parts of the first shield he broke while training. It was actually kind of impressive, clean through the middle. I never threw it away because my brother wanted to keep it, so it should still be somewhere in his room.”_

_Ai was fidgeting and she recognized it as nervous thinking. “I don’t think I have anything.” He said, sounding dejected and that was just ridiculous._

_“Ai, even I know that my brother has been regularly gifting you things since you became his personal servant. What about that figurine with the moving parts you liked so much? Or the shawl with the intricate pattern that you don’t wear anymore since you got dirt on it that one time? Or one of those silk pillows? Seriously Ai there has to be something that has meaning to the both of you!” He was fidgeting again, although he really didn’t need to be so nervous. But then he stopped and pushed the words out like he otherwise might stuff them back down. “I have a clay figurine we tried to make together! It was a mess, looks terrible, but we had a lot of fun that afternoon.”_

_There, that was great, even though Ai looked around insecurely as if expecting reproach. Now she just had to add something, but that was easy. The blanket they had always snuggled into on her balcony was still comforting to her, maybe it was to him too, or the cat shaped pillow he had given her to snuggle with after their parents died, the head band made from fabrics he had dyed himself at Makoto’s, a pretty bronze bowl that still rested on her balcony with water in it for birds that he had Ai smuggle in from the market... The possibilities were quasi endless. “I’ll just need to decide on something.”_

_“So I guess that is at least the beginning of a plan, I think it’s good enough.” Nagias hummed happily. Kou agreed and smiled sweetly at Makoto “Thank you very much Makoto, I’m sure you need to get back to work, and I think we should explore the market for a bit, maybe we’ll find something there. Can I trouble you for any more ideas?”_

_Makoto looked into the air thoughtfully “I guess the pool was kind of important to us, and he always liked the ball games we played together. I’m sorry that I can’t really do more, but I hope that I might have helped a little.” With how softly he was smiling at her she certainly wasn’t going to say anything different, so she just nodded and stood up. Nagisa led them outside again, Mikoshiba was to her side and Ai trailed behind._

_When she turned around to say good bye Makoto was leaning in the doorway and quietly talking to Haru and the sight was strangely intimate, more intimate than something so mundane should look._

_It was already around noon when they split away from the pair and they spent a few hours looking at the shops, Kou picked out a pretty reddish urn at a pottery shop while Nagisa talked to the extremely flirty pink haired merchant, who probably only refrained from trying with her too because Mikoshiba’s presence was palpable. Ai was not so immune though, and after a rather raunchy offer the grey-haired servant was bright red. They left the stand after paying and Nagisa still occasionally burst out laughing at Ai’s red cheeks. “Kisumi isn’t so bad. Most of the time he doesn’t mean anything by it.” He managed to say through giggles._

_Kou doubted that he didn’t mean it in this case because she knew that predatory look, but the words still seemed to calm Ai down a bit. Strangely enough much like Mikoshiba’s towering presence was calming to her. She should consider just taking him as a personal bodyguard to ward off suitors in the future._

_Maybe it was because he reminded her of her identity in this place full of strangers, or maybe it really was those very attractive arms but in any case she was glad to have him here, particularly because she had to admit that he had quite a bit of charm, how he scrutinized the items for sale, haggling in a rather gruff voice while still being friendly to everyone was rather appealing. As was his self-confident way of holding himself, and even addressing her. It was actually nice that someone was talking to her and still treating her as royalty without keeping their head down or being overly flattering. Everything about him just seemed very _natural_ for lack of a better term. _

_Except of course that he had a very strong presence. The only time he left her side for more than a few seconds was when a ball rolled in front of his feet and he couldn't resist showing the children, who looked at him in awe, a few tricks._

_At that moment Kou could almost remember her brother at a younger age and imagine him play with those children. Maybe what she was feeling then was a shadow of what her brother had felt, and it already tugged at her heart strings. She probably should get one of those balls for this weirdly elaborate sentimental gift she was planning. It felt a bit silly when she thought about it, but her brother always had been the dramatic sentimental type so it might actually help him. Putting it together would occupy her for a while at least, and she could finally do _something_. _

_When it was becoming late they made their way back without Nagisa, and when she stood in front of the entrance she actually felt a bit sad that she had to leave the city behind. She still didn’t understand her brother fully, but there was just something about those people and their simple lives that she found intriguing. Of course she talked to servants every day but there was just something different about being one of them instead of a princess. When the door closed behind her she felt actually pretty wistful for a moment._

_Mikoshiba said good bye and took off in the direction of the barracks after he bowed and she thanked him, while Ai escorted her through the extensive servants' corridors to the personal room of Yumi, her handmaiden, that was just next to hers. Through there they slipped back into her room where the other girl was practically vibrating with excitement while helping Kou in one of her regular dresses after Ai had taken his leave with the mishappen ball (That Nagisa said was just like the one they had used as children) and the reddish urn with the wave pattern they had bought._

_“Yes, he is really handsome up close, great arms too. And very nice golden eyes.” She answered when asked if she still was attracted to him after getting to spend the day with him, and it wasn’t even a lie. Seijuro _was_ very attractive. _

_“Did you kiss?” Kou huffed, indignant “I don’t think I have to tell you that!” She knew better than to insist and instead asked “Do you think it’s true love?” in a dreamy voice._

_At that Kou sighed “I don’t know, but I really like him a lot. I mean, he is kind, attractive, pretty strong, those arms… But I still don’t really know him.” That was pretty close to a lie, seeing as she actually wasn’t even interested at all. Although she might be, after a few more meetings, maybe._

_She sat down at her vanity mirror and Yumi set to brushing her hair with a sigh. “Oh princess, here I thought you would finally live romance a bit more, but you are as sensible as always.” Yes, her brother was the volatile ball of emotions in this family, even though she would argue that she absolutely had her moments too._

_“Would you sneak out again for him?” the maid asked and gave a happy little squeal when Kou answered with a decisive yes. Yumi couldn’t know, of course, that Kou wasn’t thinking of the young soldier but her older brother._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this mess against all odds you know how you can make a poor creature happy. Like really, really happy.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Haru, Makoto and Kisumi introspect for a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have another one, woohoo. 
> 
> I'm still looking for work, which is one of the reason I haven't been back earlier. 
> 
> The other one is that I have been binge watching ojamajo doremi, I started mostly for the sake of nostalgia, but damn, that show got to me. 
> 
> For those who are not as goddamn old as I am: Ojamajo Doremi is an anime from the late 90s and early 2000s following the story of Doremi Harukaze and her friends who become witch apprentices and use their powers mostly to help others. 
> 
> It's a rather cute show, that might seem a bit childish, but I would still recommend anyway for people who enjoy the following:
> 
> -diverse cast of characters, where quite a lot of time is devoted to getting to know side characters, which are all unique  
> -focus on female leads who are all interesting and distinct  
> -cute magical girl anime that is less about fighting and more about slice of life stuff  
> -not shying away from at least mentioning real tragedy, even if the format usually resolves things a bit too quickly.  
> -music that is incredibly catchy, although that might be because it's so damn nostalgic for my childhood
> 
> The reason I bring this up here is that I want to do my part to bring attention to this often forgotten anime, however small it may be, because I would like to see it get more recognition. My own selfish reason for that is that there are lightnovels as well, which were never licensed or translated because there didn't seem to be a large enough demand. I, however, think that this show would deserve at least a shot at that demand which is why I ask everyone who feels like the points above speak to them to check it out, and if you like it, maybe spread that and the why of it far and wide, so exposure and hopefully demand can be increased.
> 
> That being said, I should offer a fair warning:   
> -This is a late 90s show geared towards pretty young children, that brings with it a whole lot of issues:  
> -The artstyle is definitely not the pretty, cleaned up, stylish one most commonly found today, in fact the animation is not nearly up to par to most things being put out today. Instead it's more on the cute but unpolished side.  
> -This is not a hard hitting drama or an adventure show. It is a slice of life show with many, many potential toys thrown in.  
> -the plots are simple and quickly resolved and overarching plots are not really of the epic kind.  
> -redundancy is par for the course because of the age group  
> -The girls do all sorts of stuff they are way too young for (nothing sexual whatever though), so your willing suspension of disbelief might take a few hits there.
> 
> and above all: I AM 90s TRASH.
> 
> I was born in 1992. The anime aired in Germany around the same time as the original digimon, as well as detective Conan, Inuyasha and the first episodes of one piece so I must have been anywhere between 8 and 12 then. If you look into it and find it just terrible, don't judge me too harshly. I might very well be falling completely into nostalgia recommending the series here, although I like to think that it genuinly holds up in some ways even today. Namely discussions of family issues, dead parents and even casual racism and cancer in a later episode, as well as the portrayal of many different female figures that have their stereotypes but also their subversions. What also stands out is that it doesn't talk down to kids, and notably you can't as easily play "find the main character in this classroom" because all other students have distinctive designs and personalities and often stand out one way or another in their own way.
> 
> Thank everyone who has been reading this, and now enjoy.

There it was again, the beast rumbling deep in Haru’s chest, trying to burst out and bite Kisumi’s head off. He absolutely hated that feeling. The helplessness of being shaken up to his very core by someone that didn’t, shouldn’t, even mean anything to him. But that was just the problem wasn’t it? Kisumi didn’t mean anything to him, but day by day it was becoming more obvious that Makoto meant too much to him. 

Kisumi had invited himself to dinner once again and was sitting next to Makoto, just slightly more close than the last time, inching further and further into his best friend’s personal space every visit, as if testing out the limits.

And Makoto was just gobbling up the attention, basking in the jokes and the laughs and the conversations. Of course he still tried to include his best friend, but that wasn’t what Haru wanted. If he could wish for something it would probably be a toss-up between Kisumi going away and his life going back to normal, and him being able to fill that void in Makoto’s life that apparently existed and had only be uncovered by Kisumi’s return.

Unfortunately, neither of these options seemed to be in the cards. So Haru had to contend himself with weaving his emotions into the tapestries and swimming his worries away every chance he got. Although Rin seriously was killing his buzz lately, by being so moody and rude.

To make his life even harder, he was the primary care giver for the twins, seeing as he worked from home and Makoto was not there for the majority of the day. It was ridiculous how often the two fought and how much of his energy went into tending to minor wounds, consoling one or the other over being bullied or failing at something, scolding them for bothering the neighbors or wasting, water or food and various other parental duties.

It annoyed him when Nagisa referred to him as a mom, but any answer would only dignify the accusation, and it wasn’t like there was an effective way to dissuade the notion in the blonde’s head.

He acknowledged Kisumi’s compliment about the food with a nod of the head before cleaning up the table, and listening with one ear to the dirty joke Kisumi told and with dismay to the shocked but amused laugh escaping Makoto. He didn’t understand why Makoto craved the company of that obnoxious person, and crave it Makoto did. It was unmistakable in the way his face lit up when he announced that Kisumi would come over and in the smiles the two exchanged over the food.

Haru didn’t like it. It was just another one of those instances where it felt like Makoto was slipping from his grasp and it made his own stunned development as a person all the more obvious, just how much that bothered him.

And it wasn’t even like he wanted to change, he _liked_ himself the way he was. But still he felt like he couldn’t stay that way, not if it cost him Makoto, not if everyone else was moving on. Although it didn’t really matter because he wouldn’t know where to start with changing or how to do it, so he couldn’t so he wouldn’t. And yet he might try if that allowed him to do something about that weird half lidded look Kisumi was giving Makoto, and that _Makoto_ of all people was returning, after a fashion.

The look in the green eyes made Haru’s heart race, even though it wasn’t directed at him. They were half closed, and for once there seemed to be a veil of primal seriousness preventing Haru from really reading his friend. It was loathsome and yet incredibly intriguing. A completely new side to this person that Haru had shared so much of his life with, a side that seemed unlike the benign and almost submissive boy he had grown up with. A side he suddenly felt that he desperately wanted to know. Not for the first time since Kisumi had uncovered this new Makoto, Haru felt heat pooling in his groin at the thought of it. Fortunately, he had the opportunity to turn his back on them when cleaning the cooking space until he calmed down.

When Kisumi finally left Haru felt like a weight dropped from his shoulders and breathing became easier. Makoto saw him to the door, his face all smiles. When he returned Haru locked eyes with him, trying once again to read him, and just for a second there was that exhilarating look directed at him and he could felt his heart beat in his throat at an incredible speed and his breath hitch. The next moment he realized that it probably only carried over from the goodbye given to Kisumi, and his heart dropped again, leaving him feeling cold, despite the warm smile gracing Makoto’s lips now.

The realization that hit him then shook his world to the very core. A realization that he had suppressed for a good while now:

He wanted more than just that smile.

He wanted to be looked at that other way.

He wanted all of Makoto.

The problem was just where to go from there.

*****

Green eyes were lighting up contently as Kisumi came into view, waving excitedly. His younger brother hanging on to his hand.

As they made their way to his home, he mused on how it had become almost routine to meet up after work and eat dinner at Makoto’s house, enjoying Haru’s cooking and having the twins play with Hayato, whom they almost regarded as a younger brother. This also gave them ample time to catch up and talk about adult topics. As it turned out Kisumi rather needed a good talk as much as he did, although the more Makoto learned, the more he felt like there was more to that miserable story Kisumi wasn’t ready to share yet. So far he had learned the details of his mother’s death, the alcoholism of his father and the difficulties in securing adequate care for his younger brother in the wake of all that. He had yet to insist on learning how Kisumi was financing this probably expensive burden by himself, but looking at their own history of financial difficulties he knew how little one wanted to talk about that topic, so he didn’t press it when Kisumi evaded more soft attempts.

Regardless, Kisumi was great company, he lit up every room he entered, his mischievous steak making him fun to listen to and be around. In particular he was amazing at imitating customers, and although, or maybe because, it sometimes felt slightly inappropriate, Makoto found him extremely funny when he did. It was nice, being able to talk to someone who understood the plight of dealing with customers from experience. It also helped that Kisumi was rather attractive with his tall slender form and his catlike way of moving.

And if Makoto was reading all the signs correctly, Kisumi was rather interested in him. Of course this put him in a bit of a bind. On the one hand, Haru was the only one he truly loved. If there was one thing he was convinced of, it probably was that his feelings for Haru would never change. On the other hand, this was a chance to experience something Haru was unlikely to ever give him even if it wasn't with his beloved.

Haru had never shown anything resembling any sort of romantic or sexual interest in anyone. In fact the most passionate feelings he ever had shown had been directed at Rin when they were competing at something. Right now the most emotion he ever showed at all was when observing how badly Rin seemed to be feeling. Makoto could see rather deep worry in his blue eyes whenever they were in contact with the prince.

Of course that didn’t mean that Haru didn’t feel at other times, but similar to his own, Haru’s feelings were deep rather than flashy. It was always clear in all his actions how much Haru cared about his loved ones, even though he didn’t shout it to the world like Nagisa or make a dramatic speech about it like Rin used to when they were smaller. His emotions were rarely on display, ending up internalized rather than shared.

Makoto, however, was fluent in Haru’s eyes and always could read the depth of his friend’s emotion, and he knew that the other way around that probably was just as true, that Haru usually knew what he was thinking and feeling even when he presented his ever-smiling, eternally friendly mask to the world that was so similar yet so different from Haru’s indifferent one.

All of that had remained true throughout the years, even though Haru seemed to grow ever grumpier over the last few months. Makoto chalked it up to the now regular price hikes for water and food, which would leave everyone worried, and that was just the way Haru dealt with worry. He tried to ignore that the worsening in that particular trait had coincided with Kisumi becoming part of his life again.

Now, he knew that Haru never really got along with Kisumi, and he sometimes felt just a bit selfish for bringing him home again and again, but another part of him just enjoyed all of the attention. Of course Haru was always caring and attentive in his own way, but their situation was so particular, and Makoto had so many feelings to suppress that it was actually relaxing to let loose with someone who showed an interest in him that Haru won’t.

It was nice to be able to flirt with someone so attractive and seeing the action returned, without fearing to destroy the most important relationship he has ever had in his life. The downside was that this was awakening a libido he thought mostly buried under mountains of rationalization. Suddenly he really wanted to experience kissing someone, touching someone lovingly, waking up entangled in the morning, dare he think even have sex with someone. In all of his preferred fantasies that person was Haru, of course, but increasingly he was settling into the realization that he might not be content with not experiencing any of it because Haru didn’t feel the same.

Kisumi was offering something here that was really enticing, even though he was completely different from Haru. Of course Makoto would have to tread lightly, and be assured of his own feelings first. He might never love anyone as much as he loved Haru, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t love someone else enough to at least try to be in a relationship with them. And for the sake of fairness he had to be sure that he could feel at least that much for that person.

This might be another reason that he really felt drawn to Kisumi. He had always admired the boy’s ability to not take things too seriously. And even today he seemed so sure in himself, so assured of being able to deal with anything coming his way that Makoto felt _safe_ experimenting with him, because he didn’t seem like the type to crumble if things ended up not going his way.

Sometimes he felt a bit guilty, feeling like he might give a false impression of how willing he was to commit to a relationship with someone other than Haru. Invariably he would make mental notes to either resolve the situation by talking it out with Kisumi or to tone down the flirting. But if he was sitting opposite Kisumi and the other commented on his strong back or on his eyes and looked at him as if he might crawl in his lap at any second, or into his bed at night, it was difficult not to answer in kind.

He realized that he couldn’t decide if to pursue this chance too rashly, after all it was absolutely necessary to be sure of the decision. At the same time, it was unfair stringing Kisumi along this way making it necessary to decide quickly

They were sitting around the table, and engrossed in conversation about their day, Makoto decided, once again, that this dilemma could wait until he was in bed.

*****

Kisumi was having the time of his life. Makoto was reacting rather positively to his flirting, Haru’s food was the best, Hayato was blossoming under the wing of the twins and he could finally unload a good amount of his frustrations in friendly company. It was pure bliss as far as he was concerned.

To top it all of it was rather amusing to watch Makoto and Haru dance around each other in what seemed to be a quickly escalating rhythm. It was actually a pity that he couldn’t really bet with anyone on how long it would take until Haru figured out why he hated his guts so much. Maybe he should contact Nagisa.

But until Haru figured it out and Makoto invariably got together with him, Kisumi still saw quite a few opportunities for fun. Maybe he could even get into Makoto’s pants before Haru. Now, that might be a bit mean-spirited, but to be fair, Haru had had a lifetime to figure their mess out and make a move, and it certainly wasn’t Kisumi’s job to fix his love life. Plus, Makoto was just so damn attractive, if Kisumi didn’t at least try he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Still it would be nice if Haru stopped glaring daggers at his skull while he was enjoying the food. Amusing as it usually was, sometimes it irked him that Haru blamed him for the situation. It wasn’t like Makoto was his property, and couldn’t make his own decisions.

Right now he was doing it again, staring at Kisumi like he had stolen his last bucket of water. Well, two could play at that rather childish game. Kisumi gave Haru his most winning smile before picking up the last cabbage roll and turning to Makoto with it. “You like these right?”, he asked with a suggestive smile.

When Makoto looked at him, a bit of sauce still on his lip, he made sure to lock their eyes before placing the morsel directly in front of Makoto’s mouth. When Makoto actually ate it he cheered internally, particularly because they kept their eyes locked, and the intimacy of the whole thing was rather pleasant.

He could feel Haru seethe across the table and it was amazingly entertaining. When he turned back he smiled at Haru, unperturbed by the death glare. At least it was some sort of emotion the layman (not Makoto) could decipher. Who knew, he might just jump start that whole mess, which would make him the good guy again. In any case, he already knew that this whole thing was exactly what he needed.

It would be interesting to see how long this game could last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I know, no plot, all introspection, but I just feel like this is how MakoHaru works.  
> At least that is why I like it so much.  
> I guess I should mention that I still stand by Kisumi not being a villain. If you disagree I would love to explain, or you wait until this mess comes to fruition


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nagisa's day is ruined because Rei is a prude and an idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ho,
> 
> I have a cold, and can't do anything actually productive because of it, but I get to write a bit more, which is nice.
> 
> This is also the reason I offer you this short chapter dealing with a bit of drama between Nagisa and Rei. 
> 
> If there are continuity errors I'm terribly sorry, but I'm not up to par right now. 
> 
> I still hope you enjoy though.

Nagisa was smitten to his very core. Not only did Rei keep coming back to the Quartz Cobra and seeking Nagisa’s company, he also sought his _opinions_. 

Now, Nagisa’s experience with lovers as well as patrons had not exactly been terrible, but only now did he notice how little they seemed to respect him as someone who could use his head for something other than, well, giving head. Sure, they made conversation with him over drinks, but there was always that feeling that they ultimately were just patronizing him. At least none of them seemed interested in challenging him or themselves when speaking to him. Given the situation that probably was no great surprise. But here Rei really was an anomaly. Although he was obviously attracted to Nagisa physically, as was evidenced by his blushing and starring when he thought Nagisa wasn’t looking, he always talked to the blond about his studies like he was _smart_ too. 

Even after he must have proven a thousand times over that he didn’t really understand everything that Rei was saying, the other still explained patiently and answered every question, no matter how trivial it must appear to him. On the other hand, Nagisa had seen a light of understanding in Rei’s eyes when he tried to explain a problem he was having in simpler terms, so maybe he was not as bothersome as he felt sometimes.

It was fascinating how much enthusiasm he could muster for this topic, that on the surface should bore him to death. Okay, he wasn’t interested all the time, but that he cared at all seemed like a stretch even to him sometimes. But that might also have been because Rei was very attractive when his eyebrows were drawn together, deep in thought. He had the nervous habit of tapping his fingers on his table when he was thinking, and Nagisa had noticed, not without amusement, that over time the erratic pitter-patter had become more and more synchronized with the music. That too was adorable.

The only pity was that Rei didn’t seem particularly interested in going to bed with him. It was rather frustrating because Nagisa _knew_ that Rei found him sexy. He knew lust when he saw it, and it was quite obvious in Rei’s eyes sometimes. And yet every attempt at coaxing Rei into his room had remained unsuccessful so far. The only thing he hadn’t tried yet was asking Rei head on if they wanted to fuck. But looking at Rei’s overly polite attitude that probably wouldn’t go over too well.

Nagisa didn’t really know what else to try, sitting next to Rei once again and snuggling up as closely as he could to feel the muscles in Rei’s arms shift every once in a while. He had tried to crawl in his lap multiple times today already, but every attempt had been thwarted with a blush and a pointed look at all the work that needed to be done. It was an exercise in frustration. Particularly because Nagisa had tried to scale back on fucking other people. Leaving him horny as all hell. 

Sure, he occasionally still got banged by Yamaki, the merchant that had been his latest conquest before he fell for Rei, but that sex wasn’t as emotionally fulfilling as he would like and since he didn’t seek it out he had to wait for it to come to him, adding to his unrest.

He felt Rei shift next to him and turned his head to watch the rather attractive stretch of that body he liked so much. It was impressive how Rei maintained such impressive form although he spent so much time bent over books. The other man had told him that many of the students participated in the lighter infantry trainings for health reasons. Judging from Rei’s excellent body, however, Nagisa guessed that Rei did a lot more in that regard than just light training. In fact, the blond suspected that Rei spent all his free time with training – at least the time that wasn’t reserved for visiting their establishment. 

It looked like Rei was about to take a break, which was his chance to try again to crawl closer. He slyly got into position, leaning slightly more into Rei’s personal space, smiling up at him, catching his eye. Violet eyes were fixated at him, and when he licked his lips those orbs looked lower, transfixed by his lips, which, no doubt, were shining invitingly. Good sign, maybe Rei would finally allow a kiss. Nagisa leaned just a bit closer and could already feel Rei’s breath on his lips. Just a bit closer and they would meet. 

When he heard his name called by a vaguely familiar voice he sighed internally, resigned to having to at least acknowledge Yamaki, maybe even postpone his make-out session with Rei. Cursing internally, he turned his eyes slightly upward in an apologetic expression.

When he met with the violet eyes he was surprised by the determination in them, but that surprise only lasted for a split second before _Rei_ crushed their lips together creating an even bigger one. Nagisa could tell it was his first kiss from how messy and uncoordinated it was, but he didn’t care when Rei’s strong arms snaked around his waist, pulling him into that lap he had found inviting for so long. 

Nagisa on his part slung his slender arms around Rei’s neck and only parted from the dry lips to breath. Within a minute he was the one who controlled the kiss. Rei turned out to be a rather quick learner and soon Nagisa found the kiss rather knee weakening. Judging by how unwilling Rei seemed to part from him, quite a bit of frustration had built up on his side as well, and it was glorious to feel that passion he knew was buried somewhere under that stiff exterior. And if his experimental grind downwards was not fooling him, there was a rather nice erection growing as well. 

Nagisa hadn’t known that he even could feel this smug about having been right. It took minutes until they broke apart, pink-faced and breathing heavily. Rei looked like a mess and Nagisa wanted nothing more than to drag him to his room and make him moan until he came completely undone. The look he was given only encouraged him and he breathed out through his nose. “Want to go to my room?” he asked under his breath and almost exploded with happiness when Rei nodded eagerly. 

Satisfied, Nagisa noted that Rei gathered his reading with a lot less care than he usually would. They hastened up the stairs to Nagisa’s own room, which he only recently moved into, with the blond leading the way. Soon as they walked through the door he grabbed the documents and tossed them aside, before snaring Rei in his arms again and kissing him passionately once more in anticipation of finally getting what he had wanted since Rei had first caught his eye.

**** 

Rei was more than ashamed for what he had gotten himself into.

His jealousy had gotten the better of him when he had heard that loathsome voice call the name of his beautiful Nagisa and he had given in to every base instinct that the blond had awakened. 

He had kissed Nagisa, right then and there, with no regard for decency. And he had enjoyed their entanglement too. In the end, he was no better than all the other patrons that always stared at the young boy like the perverts they were. Like the perverts he had sworn himself so many times he would not be like.

But he wasn’t any better, was he? He had gotten hard with the blond in his lap, and even when they made their frenzied way upstairs, and his head should be clearing he remained insanely turned on. It was only now, when Nagisa was kissing him again hungrily and had his small hands roaming all over his body, in Nagisa’s own bedroom no less, he noticed that this was going to far. He was disgusted with himself as he realized that he had been feeling up that lithe body. That _way too young_ body, that probably had seen too much abuse already. This just wasn’t right, no matter if Nagisa was okay with it, he shouldn’t be treated like that.

With a bit of effort, he untangled himself and tried to catch Nagisa’s eye. The bright magenta eyes he had become so fond off were staring at him dazedly, the plump lips swollen and glistening from their passionate kiss, it was the picture of everything sinfully attractive and seductive. Rei suppressed the sickening thought of how many others had seen Nagisa in this disheveled state and took a deep breath to steady his resolve. 

“You don’t have to do this!”, he urged, desperate for Nagisa to understand. Disheartened, he saw that there was only confusion on Nagisa’s face. How could he make the boy understand that he didn’t have to sell himself? That there was no need to entertain all those perverts and deal with their stares and propositions? This life was simply inacceptable for someone so vibrant and beautiful and innocent as Nagisa! “You don’t need to force yourself. I’ll like you even when we take it slower. In fact, you don’t need to sleep with anyone for approval or for money, I don’t have much but I can help you get out of here!”, he said softly, eyes closed, smiling at the idea to put Nagisa’s brightness to better use. 

“Rei.” He looked into Nagisa’s eyes again, slightly irritated by the strange tone in his voice. The look he was given was like a kick in the gut. It was betrayal, anger and sadness all rolled into one. “Get out.”, the blond finished.

He opened his mouth to reply something, apologize, defend himself, ask what was going on, but words wouldn’t come and Nagisa only seemed to get angrier as he shoved him out the door again. “Get out, and stay away from me.” The door was slammed in his face and he could hear sobbing from the other side. His documents were still in there, but for now he felt too helpless to confront the boy. 

Leaving the dancing house was a terrible experience, all eyes were following him, no doubt wondering what had happened in the few moments between going upstairs and now. It was shameful to be judged by these patrons of all people. Particularly because he still didn’t understand what exactly had happened there. 

All he knew was that now he felt insanely guilty, and that he had to find out what had gone so terribly wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A presumptuous idiot and a prude. At least that is what I think Rei would be like in such a situation, so caught up in his ideas of morality and the wish to help that he forgets that Nagisa, who to him seems like a child, has volition of his own.
> 
> If you have something to comment I would love to read it, and if not but you liked it I'm rather grateful for Kudos.
> 
> I hope to post another chapter quite soon, where we take a look at Ai being done, because everyone around him is a dramatic, flailing, whining pissbaby, at Rin being a dramatic, flailing, whining pissbaby and at Gou trying to sort out her own life and her brother's issue. So if that sounds like fun to you, stay tuned.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ai deals with two of his friends being a pain and Gou contemplates her options.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada, here we have another one. 
> 
> I actually, like, don't hate this one. So I hope you enjoy it too. 
> 
> PS: If you like JRPG but have never played Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, you definitely should check that game out.

Ai just hoped this wasn’t going to be the new normal.

He could get used to a lot of things, he had gotten used to a lot of things already, in fact. Rin being constantly moody and on edge was one of those things, and although he always did his best to be polite about his friend and master’s issues, even his patience was wearing thin. 

He had endured being screamed at, shut out, having his personal space invaded (and not in the fun way, mind you.), even being belittled with every variation of “You just don’t get it!”. The “you peasant wouldn’t know responsibility!”, had never actually been said, but looking at Rin’s high and mighty flip flopping on his oh so important duties and his flailing about the future, Ai started hearing it anyway.

This rather aggressive behavior against himself, however, had not been Ai’s biggest problem. It was annoying, sure, but the escalation had been comparatively recent and with a coronation on the horizon Ai understood and thus forgave some of it. 

What really annoyed him was the spiral of self-pity Rin had allowed himself to fall into. When he was training with the soldiers, his anger and impatience and rash actions frequently landed him on his ass. Ai had learned from Sei just how much the prince was standing in his own way here and how much this whole thing further frustrated the red-head, slowing any progress he could otherwise make. He hated how Rin would sometimes just flop on his lavish bed, curling up petulantly (although he still looked kind of cool even then) and not talking for hours on end, just sighing dramatically or sit on his balcony with this dejected look on his face, no doubt thinking terrible thoughts about himself. 

Ai had recognized a severe case of putting yourself down in his friend. It was a sentiment he was rather familiar with, being too small, too weak, too slow, too clumsy, too easily attached. Self-loathing was something Ai was very, very familiar with. Maybe the thing that annoyed him most was that Rin didn't have a reason to be this way. He knew it was irrational to be angry at Rin for feeling the same things as he himself did although the prince had none of those issues, but sometimes he couldn’t help it. 

Most of the time though, Ai understood. He understood that Rin might feel inadequate for the tasks of a king , particularly because his voice had not yet stood strong against the regent, and because there were two crises on the horizon that might fall to Rin to solve. It was understandable. What Ai didn’t understand was why Rin, who he had originally met as someone with sheer endless determination and a stellar work ethic, was so bad at handling his emotions in a dignified manner. 

Lately he had been snapping at many of the servants (not just Ai) every soldier he was beaten by, and even Haru and Makoto on their last visit, which had been the first one in a while. His sister he just ignored with icy stoicism and with the regent he was getting into embittered fights that sometimes had the whole palace on stand-by in case there might be a physical altercation. The latest fight had been about the regent (quite properly) pointing out that Rin was in no condition to rule anything in that emotional state. 

It had taken Sei and his father to stop Rin from proving beyond a doubt that he really wasn’t. If this continued it was only a matter of time before he blew up at a diplomat and then they would really be in deep shit. 

Of course, every fight Rin had invariably led to him storming off and curling up on his bed like a child. If Ai offered something to drink or to eat, he would usually just be send away. Lately he had taken to insisting if Rin hadn’t been eating and drinking enough. Usually that netted him annoyed muttering, sometimes curses and angry looks. Still, often he could get to Rin to ingest at least a tea and some Baklava. 

What didn’t usually happen was that Rin lifted a hand to him, not until now at least. 

He hadn’t actually struck Ai, but it had been close, the large hand just stopping short in front of his face after a shout of “Leave me the fuck alone, already!” Ai couldn’t see his own face, but he doubted that it was more surprised or shocked than that of Rin, who sat there frozen, unbelieving tears burning in his eyes. The next moment Ai ran out of the room following another shout of “Get out!”. 

He was shaken by the encounter at first, but then he was just annoyed. No doubt this would only serve to further inflame that nice cozy bonfire of self-immolation by guilt the prince had going. 

Ai sighed over having misjudged Rin’s mood. But maybe he should have known after seeing Nagisa getting physically shoved out of the room. He set out to find the blond and investigate what had brought them to this point. 

He found the boy in the kitchens, binging on tarts and looking like a depressed mess. It was strange to see the usually bubbly Nagisa hunched over a table, munching on pastries with crumbs all over his front, seemingly uncaring about his messed-up hair and disheveled appearance. 

Ai sat down next to him and waited until Nagisa chose to acknowledge him. The blond did so eventually with an overly dramatic sigh. “Why are the cute ones so stupid?”, he asked with a look that was one half wistful and one half cute rage. It was a good question; one that Ai had asked himself about a thousand times since he had met Rin and subsequently developed this embarrassing crush of his. 

“This is about that Rei guy, right?” he asked sympathetically. Half the reason was that he cared, the other was that Nagisa would need to vent this before they could go anywhere with anything else. 

Sure enough Nagisa gripped the table with enough force to make his knuckles go white. “Ugh don’t mention that stupid name.” The following sigh was so dramatic it would give Rin a run for his money. Ai waited patiently and shortly Nagisa seemed more composed and sighed again, this time more naturally, although his eyes remained sad. “I thought he took me seriously you know?”, Ai looked at his friend surprised, Nagisa had never given the impression of wanting to be taken seriously. 

The blond didn’t seem to notice the look and continued. “He talked to me about his school stuff, you know. Like I was smart, and not, like, to get me into bed at all. I thought he really cared about my opinions and saw me as a _real person_.” 

Ai felt dejected, “I didn’t know you felt that other people don’t treat you that way.” He offered softly, earning a groan. 

“Neither did I!” Nagisa wailed and Ai was glad that the head cook was out right now. “I never missed it at all, and then he gave me that, and then we were almost, almost gonna do it and he shuts me down like, “I will save you from this pit of vice!” and “You don’t have to do this to be liked!”, ugh.” Frustrated, Nagisa slammed his head down next to the almost empty plate of tarts.

Ai didn’t know what to answer to that. It didn’t seem particularly egregious to him at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he got it, somehow. “What did you do?”, he asked again, softly. “Kicked him out.” Nagisa answered, not missing a beat. 

Ai nodded softly “What are you going to do?”, he prodded again. Nagisa leaned back, his face crunched up in contemplation. “I dunno, but right now I don’t wanna see him at all. I mean, the nerve! Like I’m too stupid to decide that for myself!” 

Ai had a bit of a wish to defend the other man, but with Nagisa in this state he knew he had to be careful. “Does he even know that you don’t, uhm, fornicate for money?”. Nagisa glared at him, “Never even asked, just assumed it. And even if I did, what business of his would it be?”, with that the boy stuffed another tart in his mouth and munched aggressively. 

With that Ai gave up any defense although he could imagine one or two mitigating factors to that fight. At least now he could imagine what might have happened with Rin earlier, looking at Nagisa’s agitated state. But it probably would be safer to ask. “So you are here to eat your worries away, but don’t you usually have a session with Rin around this time of day?”. 

Yet another groan spread crumbs over the table before Nagisa swallowed. “Don’t get me started on him, he was whining all the way today, said I was being too rough and that my face was depressing. MY FACE. And so, I told him that his face was making all of us miserable so he could kindly shut his mouth about mine.” 

Ai composed himself with a deep breath, once again realizing that Nagisa was too used to getting away with everything. It was a miracle Rin hadn’t socked him in the face. The shifty expression on his face however suggested to Ai that there was more, and so he softly poked Nagisa in the side, who yelled and slapped his hand away before meeting Ai’s expectant gaze. With a sigh the boy looked down and more quiet than before. “And I told him that if he fucking relaxed and got his dick wet every once in a while, he wouldn’t be such a prick and I wouldn’t need to be so rough with the massages, because he’d be less cramped if he emptied those balls of his occasionally.” 

Ai turned his eyes toward the ceiling, asking the heavens why all his friends were like this. With yet another sigh, he looked at Nagisa. “You realize that you ruined his day, and that ruins mine, right?” Nagisa probably knew best what dealing with an even more bad tempered than usual Rin entailed and looked honestly contrite and apologetic, his pink eyes wide, begging forgiveness. 

Ai never learned how to stay mad at Nagisa, so he waved the whole thing away. The other boy relaxed slightly and leaned toward Ai, conspiratorially asking how their gift was coming along in a low voice. 

Ai had to smile at the monstrosity that had started to take up one corner of his room. Luckily Rin never went in there although it was right next to the prince’s. And even if he did, Ai was not the tidiest person except when picking up after others, so he figured the general disarray in his room would save him in the unlikely case that Rin decided to peek. 

They had almost everything together by now too, the only thing missing was a second piece of cloth Haru still wanted to make. Despite his aloof attitude he had provided the first sample, which really was a piece of art, rather quickly. Even if he was not entirely happy with it, judging by Makoto’s constant reassurances that it was fine and more than enough. Kou had been a flurry of energy putting everything together too, sneaking into his quarters when she knew her brother to be at a meeting and arranging, then re-arranging again. He had also seen her at the training grounds occasionally. Of course, he was too well learned as a personal servant to comment on the reasons for this.

As he told Nagisa all this, the grin came back to his crumb stained face. At least on that front there was a relief. Now he just had to find a way to calm Rin down. “You wouldn’t apologize by any chance to make my life more bearable?” he asked his bubbly friend. 

Nagisa pulled a face, looking extremely conflicted before shrugging his shoulders in an apologetic gesture. “I don’t think I could make it believable, y’know. I shouldn’t have said it but it’s not untrue either. Rin needs to unwind, but he won’t let me do it, and you won’t even try, and I was just so frustrated that I snapped.”

Ai nodded not even bothering with a blush anymore at the insinuation, figures that Nagisa couldn’t lie about this one thing. “By the way, I think Haru said he was done with the last piece, wanna go get it?”, Nagisa offered. Ai nodded with a smile, Rin probably wouldn’t want to see him today anymore anway.

And so, the two set off to retrieve the last bit of their strange plan.

 *****

Gou was rather excited after her little excursion to the town. Sure, she didn’t completely understand what her brother’s fascination with sneaking out had been, but she understood enough to feel a slight pull to do it again. Partly because being incognito for once in her normally heavily supervised life had been nice, and for another because she was actually, maybe, a bit, just slightly, interested in spending time with Sei again. 

It wasn’t precisely a crush. In fact, she didn’t know how to relate to him at all. He was friendly enough, and those muscles were something to behold. Particularly during combat training. She had seen his glorious body in action and it had awakened some rather naughty thoughts. His golden eyes and red hair, as well as his deep voice, that always carried some level of authority, were pretty attractive too.

But she still didn’t _know_ him. His behavior was rather obviously restrained by his respect for her station although he thankfully never resorted to groveling, making it difficult for her to evaluate him accurately.

The only issue was that she wasn’t particularly interested in marrying just yet, even if she turned out attracted to the man. On the other hand, she might not get a choice in the matter if she didn’t make a choice soon. Of course, Rin would never sell her hand in marriage, but if someone asked for a political marriage when she was still unwed it would put him in an uncomfortable spot. She could avoid that by making her own choice sooner, and Sei didn’t seem a bad candidate. He still was part of the elite through his father. Their families had long standing ties, and he was even friends with her brother. Marrying him would be unorthodox, but not impossible considering their respective positions in society. Her maid would scold her for calculating her options like that instead of searching for love, but she couldn’t help it. Rin had always been the romantic between the two of them and she desperately didn’t want to become someone’s political pawn. With Sei she might even get to keep almost everything about her life the same it was before.

But to know if he actually would be a viable husband she would need to get to know him better. Maybe she should employ the support of the servants for this the way Nagisa had done. It couldn’t be too difficult to set up another meeting or two, the way the girls were all on her side, right? 

All those contemplations were had during her manners class. Something she was so good at that she could do it practically in her sleep. It was annoying that she still had to attend them, when she hadn’t needed a reprimand in years, but at least it didn’t challenge her mind too much to still think about more important things. 

When she finally was getting to her bedroom Nagisa and Ai were already waiting for her, a vibrantly red piece of fabric folded neatly in Nagisa’s hand. 

Kou’s eyes lit up as she closed the door behind herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. If you did and you would leave a comment or two or a Kudos, that would make me a very very happy author.
> 
> Next up should be Rin hating himself and being a dramaqueen about it. Fun times.


End file.
